Zeno Swijtink
09-28-2008, 10:50 PM
Alaska Lawmakers: Campaign Moving to Stall Probe (https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Palin-Troopergate.html)
The New York Times/Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The McCain-Palin campaign is ''moving on many fronts'' to stall an investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused the power of her office by firing her public safety commissioner, the Alaska lawmakers claimed in a court filing Thursday.
The filing is in response to a lawsuit by five Republican state legislators seeking to halt the investigation into whether Palin abused her power when she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan this summer. The legislators call the investigation by the Legislative Council biased, a violation of due process and a violation of the separation of powers between Alaska's legislative and executive branches.
They want a judge to order the Legislative Council to cease investigating Palin or remove the leaders of the probe: Sen. Hollis French, the Democratic project manager of the investigation; Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, the Legislative Council investigator; and Stephen Branchflower, the retired attorney the council hired as the independent investigator.
Palin had agreed to cooperate with the investigation until she became Sen. John McCain's running mate. Then, through the McCain campaign, she claimed that French, Elton and Branchflower were manipulating the report to be a potentially damaging ''October surprise'' before Election Day.
The attorney defending French, Elton, Branchflower and the Legislative Council said in the response filed Wednesday that the suit is one of several tactics the McCain campaign is using to stall the investigation.
''The McCain campaign and its supporters, having apparently convinced themselves that the facts would cause serious damage to the Republican ticket if publicly known before the national election, are now moving on many fronts -- including this one -- to slow and stop Mr. Branchflower's fact-finding inquiry and to prevent his issuance of the report authorized by the Legislative Council,'' said the response filed by defense attorney Peter Maassen.
McCain campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin did not address the stalling allegation, saying Palin is cooperating with a separate investigation by the Alaska State Personnel Board.
''Governor Palin looks forward to a fair and complete review of the facts insulated from the taint of partisan politics,'' Griffin said in an e-mailed statement.
Maassen says the Legislature has broad fact-finding power and this probe falls well within its scope, and asks Anchorage Judge Stephanie Joannnides to dismiss the lawsuit.
The filing did not name other stalling tactics the campaign was using, though McCain officials have held regular news conferences denouncing the investigation. Also, several witnesses under subpoena, including Palin's husband, have refused to cooperate. That means Branchflower will not be able to talk to key people, though he still plans to complete a report by Oct. 10.
Palin fired Monegan in July. Weeks later, it emerged that Palin, her husband, Todd, and several high-level staffers had contacted Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister before Palin became governor. While Monegan says no one from the administration ever told him directly to fire Wooten, he says their repeated contacts made it clear they wanted Wooten gone.
Palin maintains she fired Monegan over budget disagreements.
The New York Times/Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The McCain-Palin campaign is ''moving on many fronts'' to stall an investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused the power of her office by firing her public safety commissioner, the Alaska lawmakers claimed in a court filing Thursday.
The filing is in response to a lawsuit by five Republican state legislators seeking to halt the investigation into whether Palin abused her power when she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan this summer. The legislators call the investigation by the Legislative Council biased, a violation of due process and a violation of the separation of powers between Alaska's legislative and executive branches.
They want a judge to order the Legislative Council to cease investigating Palin or remove the leaders of the probe: Sen. Hollis French, the Democratic project manager of the investigation; Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, the Legislative Council investigator; and Stephen Branchflower, the retired attorney the council hired as the independent investigator.
Palin had agreed to cooperate with the investigation until she became Sen. John McCain's running mate. Then, through the McCain campaign, she claimed that French, Elton and Branchflower were manipulating the report to be a potentially damaging ''October surprise'' before Election Day.
The attorney defending French, Elton, Branchflower and the Legislative Council said in the response filed Wednesday that the suit is one of several tactics the McCain campaign is using to stall the investigation.
''The McCain campaign and its supporters, having apparently convinced themselves that the facts would cause serious damage to the Republican ticket if publicly known before the national election, are now moving on many fronts -- including this one -- to slow and stop Mr. Branchflower's fact-finding inquiry and to prevent his issuance of the report authorized by the Legislative Council,'' said the response filed by defense attorney Peter Maassen.
McCain campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin did not address the stalling allegation, saying Palin is cooperating with a separate investigation by the Alaska State Personnel Board.
''Governor Palin looks forward to a fair and complete review of the facts insulated from the taint of partisan politics,'' Griffin said in an e-mailed statement.
Maassen says the Legislature has broad fact-finding power and this probe falls well within its scope, and asks Anchorage Judge Stephanie Joannnides to dismiss the lawsuit.
The filing did not name other stalling tactics the campaign was using, though McCain officials have held regular news conferences denouncing the investigation. Also, several witnesses under subpoena, including Palin's husband, have refused to cooperate. That means Branchflower will not be able to talk to key people, though he still plans to complete a report by Oct. 10.
Palin fired Monegan in July. Weeks later, it emerged that Palin, her husband, Todd, and several high-level staffers had contacted Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister before Palin became governor. While Monegan says no one from the administration ever told him directly to fire Wooten, he says their repeated contacts made it clear they wanted Wooten gone.
Palin maintains she fired Monegan over budget disagreements.