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Trooper-Gate's Attorney-General Problem
Earlier today, we learned that Talis Colberg, Alaska's Attorney General, is the latest figure to lend support to the GOP effort to stymie the Trooper-Gate investigation. Colberg sent a letter to Sen. Hollis French, who's overseeing the investigation, asserting that the state employees who have been subpoenaed to testify in the probe won't honor those subpoenas.
So it's worth stressing a point that might be getting lost in the flurry of moves and counter-moves: Colberg is no independent player in this case. In fact, he's a Palin appointee, who was personally involved in the effort to pressure Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to terminate Trooper Mike Wooten, and who has already led an investigation into the matter at Palin's behest.
When the legislature announced that it would hire an independent investigator, Stephen Branchflower, to look into charges that the governor had wrongfully terminated Monegan, Palin revealed that she had already requested that Colberg conduct his own parallel investigation. Colberg had begun gathering documents and evidence in late July, weeks before Branchflower had even begun his probe.
At the time, legislators raised questions about Colberg's involvement and the possibility of witness tampering.
"I think it is harmful to the credibility of the administration, harmful to the process and harmful to all the parties involved," Rep. Jay Ramras, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee told the Anchorage Daily News. "It's just the worst possible thing to be doing."
As a result of new information uncovered by Colberg's investigation, Palin held a press-conference in mid-August and admitted that one of her staffers, Frank Bailey, had been tape recorded making a call to a state trooper's office, requesting the removal of Wooten.
And crucially, she also admitted that Colberg himself -- as well as Todd Palin -- had called Monegan and talked to him about Wooten. Thanks to these calls, Palin acknowledged, Monegan might have felt pressure to fire Wooten. Palin had previously denied that either she or her staffers had ever pressured officials to fire Wooten.
For a time, it appeared that Colberg had distanced himself from the investigation as a result of this conflict of interest. When Palin hired Thomas Van Flein to represent her in the case, Van Flein cited Colberg's call to Monegan as a reason why Colberg himself could not represent Palin. "The Department of Law had a potential conflict of interest, because Mr. Colberg, Attorney General Colberg, made contact with Mr. Monegan about Trooper Wooten," Van Flein said at the time. "That would make him a potential witness, and thus there's a potential conflict."
Last week, Senior Assistant Attorney General Michael Barnhill -- not Colberg -- authored a letter threatening to quash subpoenas if they were issued by the state legislature. Bloomberg even reported that Colberg had recused himself from the investigation.
But in the light of Colberg's letter to French announced this morning, that no longer appears operative.
So in other words, Palin and her lawyer have admitted that Colberg, a Palin appointee, called Monegan and pressured him to fire Wooten, and that he has a clear conflict of interest in the case. And yet Colberg is still working to quash subpoenas issued in a bipartisan vote by the state legislature.
The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a call from TPMmuckraker seeking to clear up the confusion.
Colberg's background doesn't suggest he's a figure with much independent clout
Before he was appointed attorney general by Palin, he was a little known assemblyman from the Matanuska Valley, in which Palin's hometown of Wasilla sits.
In an article Sunday in the New York Times, a family friend of Colberg described a conversation with him on his move from a one-room law office in rural Alaska to one of the highest offices in the state, supervising over 500 people: "I called him and asked, 'Do you know how to supervise people?'," Kathy Wells told the Times. "He said, 'No, but I think I'll get some help.'"
Josh
Zachary
Well he got his help, but will he survive it? Maybe in the incestuous politics of Alaska this is SOP, but to me, it looks like a conflict of interest at best, and interfering with a duly authorized investigation at worst.
September 17, 2008 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy shit. Are his teeth yellow or is it just the pic? I mean, wasn't he on the X-files?
September 17, 2008 7:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's his e-mail. Ask him to do the right thing and step aside:
attorney.general@alaska.gov
September 17, 2008 7:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. Look at that photo. That guy is Attorney General of a state!
September 17, 2008 7:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
One look and I thought: Palin crony
September 18, 2008 12:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's starting to sound as if the legislature needs the Alaska Supreme Court to settle the matter.
I would assume the legislature has constitutional authority to issue subpoenas for investigative purposes.
Also, I would assume the State Attorney General works for the State, not exclusively for the Governor.
I would also expect he would stay at arms length when spats erupt between the two and only offer legal advise per the state constitution who can do what and when.
I just hope all the justices on the high court are not Palin appointees.
September 17, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you want to drag it out past the election getting it on the Alaska SC docket is a good way to do it.
September 18, 2008 2:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obviously, as the legislature has the constitutional authority to impeach and remove, it without question has the constitutional authority to investigate to determine whether there are grounds to impeach and remove.
What the people of Alaska need to do is to start a RECALL against Palin.
September 18, 2008 8:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I stand corrected on the Alaska Supreme Court
Palin seems to have the legal upper hand in this game and might just wiggle out of this.
September 17, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hopefully not in the Court of Public Opinion.
People need to understand that McCain is trying shut down an investigation that Palin AGREED to many weeks ago.
September 17, 2008 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm confident that if people don't understand it by then, Biden will bring it up at the debate.
September 18, 2008 3:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
And the citizens of Alaska need pronto to start a RECALL against Palin.
September 18, 2008 8:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sounds like Palin's AG took some pointers from Alberto; they work for their bosses, not the people.
Can the state bar not insist this guy recuse himself? Doesn't the bar have an ethics committee?
September 17, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
By the way, Colberg had extensive experience as the manager of the Alaska State Fair...that was how he qualified, it seems. Palin likes experience. It's similar to that of her Secretary of Agriculture who got that slot because she's always loved cows.
There is also that part about them being school chums of Sarah's which surely doesn't count.
September 17, 2008 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does the State Fair have horses?
We have all learned that if ya got a law degree and can handle horses you're gona do a heck of a job.
September 17, 2008 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really do support this Palin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1y9s73Nos
September 17, 2008 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Information about how to file an ethics complaint with the Alaska Bar Association is available here:
http://www.alaskabar.org/index.cfm?id=6486
September 17, 2008 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
How do they define "standing" to file a complaint?
Meanwhile, the citizens of Alaska need to IMMEDIATELY start a RECALL against Palin.
THAT will communicate a fact to the national Court of Public Opinion what the view of those citizens are of Palin.
September 18, 2008 8:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Truly insane. Haven't they yet figured out that the coverup is ALWAYS worse than the actual situation that is being looked at? If nothing else, it simply raises a firm suspicion that there IS something really bad to try to hide. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
September 17, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's illegally WIRETAP Palin -- THEN she won't have anything to hide.
September 18, 2008 8:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
From Rep. Les Gara, Anchorage, Alaska...
Since Monday the McCain camp has stepped up its personal attacks against Alaskans. They've continued their D.C.-style tactics against neighbors in this small state. The game plan is to find an excuse to stop our Legislature's Troopergate investigation, and hide evidence McCain's folks really don't want to surface before November's election. It's been a little Karl Rove, and parts Laurel and Hardy. How else can you explain the following?
Friday the Attorney General's office promised state witnesses would comply with subpoenas the Legislature issued last week. Tuesday the Governor's Attorney General flip flopped, and announced that state witnesses wouldn't comply because, well, and I'm paraphrasing here - - he's changed his mind. And in what has to be an idea hatched after a 4th Martini at Chilkoot Charlies, Governor Palin's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the ethics claim she filed against herself two weeks ago. Yup. She really filed a complaint against herself. Tuesday she said she's discovered, after a thorough investigation of herself, that she's done nothing wrong. Does anyone know how to get a hold of Jon Stewart and Tina Fey?
It's silly season up here in the far north, but this week's moves are aimed at one thing: John McCain's effort to find cover for being disingenuous. See, before Governor Palin's nomination for the Republican VP spot, she did the honest thing. She admitted the evidence -- of roughly 20 contacts between her staff and husband with Public Safety officials, seeking the firing of Governor Palin's former brother-in-law -- might lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that the she misused her office to fire a state employee. So when Alaska's Republican-led Legislature called for an investigation, she did the honorable thing and said she and her staff would comply. She denies any wrongdoing.
Things changed on August 29 when Governor Palin was added to the McCain ticket. Since then his handlers have told her she can't testify. They don't want the evidence in this case to come out. They don't want her to testify under oath. They don't want other witnesses to testify under oath. So they have engaged in daily maneuvers to attack, as disloyal to the McCain campaign, anyone who wants the investigation to move forward. They've now attacked two well respected prosecutors, and perhaps the state's most highly regarded law enforcement official -- the Public Safety Commissioner she hired, and then fired, Walt Monegan.
Every day this week McCain operatives have sung the same tune. Today a guy with an East Coast accent, who knows nothing about Alaska, stood in front of a McCain-Palin banner to lead the attacks against people he doesn't know. At press conferences on Monday and Tuesday campaign staffer Megan Stapleton spit vitriol to repeat her argument that this investigation is really a "Democratic" attack on Governor Palin. See, that's easier than just saying their VP has reneged on her promise to testify. It's easier than just saying they don't want anyone testifying before the November election. It's easier than admitting they are stonewalling a legislative investigation. Oh -- and I know they hate partisan stuff. Yesterday 5 Republican legislators -- all allies of Governor Palin, all supporters of the McCain campaign, filed a lawsuit against the Legislature to stop the investigation.
Here are a few things MCCain's operatives failed to say. There are a few small facts that make it hard to style this as a Democratic investigation. One is that Alaska is a Republican State. We have a Republican Governor and a Legislature of 34 Republicans and 26 Democrats. This summer the Legislature's Legislative Council voted 12-0 (8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) to hire an investigator, and appointed Democratic Senator Hollis French, a well-respected former prosecutor, to find an investigator.
Governor Palin stated she and her employees would comply with the investigation. French then hired Steve Branchflower, a former DA who most recently was hired by legislative Republicans to run the state's Office of Victims rights. And on Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 (2 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor); and the House Judiciary Committee issued a 7 - 0 (5 Republicans, 2 Democrats) advisory vote, to issue subpoenas to witnesses the McCain camp had previously stopped from testifying.
Over the last two days McCain's outside operatives have vilified former prosecutor Hollis French -- as an Obama supporter who must have called this investigation to hurt the McCain ticket. But French was appointed to oversee the investigation by a 12 - 0 Legislative Council vote, and is probably the state's most respected legislator -- by Republicans and Democrats alike. He's so popular the Republican Party couldn't find anyone to run against him this year. They've called former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan -- a Native Alaskan who has served Republican and Democratic Administrations with honor, and put his life on the line in uniform- - "insubordinate." Odd, given that when Governor Palin fired him she offered him a different job. I guess being "insubordinate" was a job requirement for the new position. And they've challenged the independence of an investigator and former DA, who has no animus anyone can find.
Those Swift boat ads taught the McCain folks that if you say something untrue enough times, it can stick. My favorite moment of the week came when Governor Palin's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Palin's ethics complaint against herself. Stay with me. Her attorneys have been buying the peyote, not me. See, on August 29 they needed to find a way to stop the Legislature's investigation. They tried asking the Republican leaders to call it off, and take one for the team. But the Senate President and others honorably said no. So they came up with an argument that the State Personnel Board -- 3 people appointed by Governor Palin and her Republican predecessor Frank Murkowski - had "exclusive jurisdiction" to investigate wrongdoing by the Governor.
The Legislature wasn't amused. So Governor Palin then filed a complaint against herself. That, they said, put "jurisdiction" in the hands of their friends at the Personnel Board. They argued that since the Personnel Board was now proceeding with an "investigation," the Legislature couldn't. To put icing on the cake, on Monday the Governor's attorneys moved to dismiss the Governor's case against herself. They said, and I loosely paraphrase again -- that they tried really hard and just couldn't find any evidence that the Governor did anything wrong. OK. I can't believe I just wrote that. And I wish it weren't true.
These are the things you have to do when your presidential candidate doesn't want his VP to honor a promise, and doesn't want evidence to come out before an election. These are the things you have to do if your folks aren't going to comply with a subpoena. That's because without spin the headline might read: "McCain Interferes With Investigation Palin Agreed To." How easy it is to re-write a headline. They learned that during the Swift boat campaign too.
All we can hope for is that members of the press will abide by what's taught in journalism school. Not to repeat the spin of political operatives without reporting the truth. Not to write "he said she said" stories, and pretend the truth is somewhere in the middle. But to report the facts. No matter how you spin it, Governor Palin promised to comply with this Legislative Investigation. McCain's folks got her to change her position. And the Legislature that voted for the investigation did so on a bi-partisan basis. End of story. End of headline.
Over the next few days McCain's folks will try to get local legislators to step in line, out of party loyalty, and reverse their vote to investigate Troopergate. But many local Republicans, like Senate President Lyda Green, have so far refused to play those politics. Stay for more from McCain's Campaign for "Change." They've tried to change the truth. They've succeeded at changing Governor Palin's promise to comply with this investigation. Let's see what they'll change next.
Rep. Les Gara, Anchorage, Alaska
September 17, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gara and French are using this to make names for themselves.
1. Talis 'recused' himself as soon as he knew he had a conflict of interest. That is why an 'outside' lawyer is acting as Palin's lawyer. BUT, he still represents the people working in the Administration.
2. Politics in Alaska has always been personal. I know several of the people involved and I haven't been active in either the republican or democratic parties - ever. We run into these people at the grocery store or out eating.
3. The 'old guard' republicans do not care for Sarah because they can't control her. Lyda Green, Charlie Huggins, et al, are just sore losers. And Lyda is one mean b****. And their ranks have been depleted recently by great service by the FBI. (THANKS FBI!!!) Check out the names Pete Kott, Tom Anderson, Vic Kohring, VECO, etc. Teddy Stevens and baby Ben are up next. Teddy goes on trial next -- and no, Sarah is not his best friend. She has made a point of letting him know that what he is doing is WRONG.
4. The so called bi-partisan committee isn't neutral. AND French does not have subpoena power, although he signed them! Subpoenas can come from the legislature FOR THE PEOPLE TO TESTIFY IN FRONT OF THE COMMITTEE, NOT IN FRONT OF A HIRED INVESTIGATOR in a back room somewhere.
5. This whole thing started because a BAD COP was protected by the organization known as the Alaska State Troopers -- who apparently are above the law. And Monegan (who let Wooten be safe behind the Blue Wall) had some behind the scenes earmarks he was going after, without coordinating with the Governor's office. Ask some of the 'old time' Anchorage cops how they feel about him. And check out the San Francisco Chronicle story on him. Lots of things are coming out that are off the wall.
Bottom line: this investigation has been so tainted that we probably never will know the truth. Any evidence and witnesses have been politicized to the point that you can't believe EITHER side. And we all lose.
September 17, 2008 11:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
It sure doesn't seem like Colberg recused himself.
He sent the letter to Hollis French regarding the subpoenas on 9-16 as Attorney General. That is a clear Conflict of Interest since he represents the State, the governor, the legislature and other civil officers.
In other words, he CANNOT pick sides as Attorney General. He clearly has done just that. That is a clear Conflict of Interest and could be considered Professional Misconduct.
September 18, 2008 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
1. Talis 'recused' himself as soon as he knew he had a conflict of interest. That is why an 'outside' lawyer is acting as Palin's lawyer. BUT, he still represents the people working in the Administration.
2. Politics in Alaska has always been personal. I know several of the people involved and I haven't been active in either the republican or democratic parties - ever. We run into these people at the grocery store or out eating.
Sorry to intrude on 'Mayberry North,' however, in the Lower 48, the State AG represents the 'rule of law,' not the people he works with.
Also, nice whitewash on the 'outside' lawyer, who is really a part of Team McCain, who has taken over the stonewalling attempt.
I'm sure you'd like to believe your last statement, however, it's pretty easy to see which pig the lipstick is on. As the old saying goes, if Palin is innocent, she shouldn't be afraid of a little sunlight under her drawers.
September 18, 2008 1:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right. You're not a Republican. You're an independent liar.
For profit? Or simply in service to sociopathy?
We know the facts: Colberg recused himself because he knew he took part in the alleged abuse of power, thus that it would be a conflict of interest to investigate himself.
Then he de-recused himself and thumbed his nose at the law: he ordered those subpoenaed to ignore the subpoenas.
Being an independent, instead of a Republican, if you ignored a subpoena you'd be arrested and hauled into court.
Except, perhaps, if you lie for those who are subverting the rule of law for partisan political purposes.
Nope, you're not a Republican. You just put the Republican criminal enterprise before country and rule of law as a law-abiding ethicist.
September 18, 2008 8:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Bottom line: this investigation has been so tainted that we probably never will know the truth. Any evidence and witnesses have been politicized to the point that you can't believe EITHER side. And we all lose."
Bingo, this is exactly the result that McCain/Palin want.
And its 100% pure unadulterated Horseshit. The case is quite clear and Palin herself agreed to it. Until she was selected VP candidate all was well. Now that Washington Republicans have intervened things have become muddied because that is what they do. Filter out their crap and you have a very clear case.
September 18, 2008 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sleek, you need to spread this around. It adds to the developing picture of Sarah Palin as a person with a temperament incompatible with good public service.
September 18, 2008 12:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska for sure is THE MOST CORRUPT State in America.
You cannot make this stuff up!
So now it's up to the Governor to decide if subpoenas are valid? Palin now thinks she is the Legislative and Judicial branch as well? INSANITY!
Boy, they should start thinking about Impeachment.
Alaska's Constitution
Article III
SECTION 16. GOVERNOR'S AUTHORITY. The governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws.
September 17, 2008 8:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
More effective and faster to start a RECALL than wait on a REPUBLICAN-controlled legislature to impeach --
which impeachment effort FIRST requires the INVSTIGATION that is being STONEWALLED.
REACLL PALIN!
September 18, 2008 8:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
The duties of the Alaska Attorney General are set forth in Alaska statute 44.23.020. They include representing the State, prosecuting State law and giving legal advice to all branches of government, including the legislature. In his recent statement that the stonewalling witnesses will not comply with the legislature's subpeonas, Colberg said the subpeonas put "our clients" in a bad position. "Our clients"????? Colberg cannot legally choose to represent private individuals against another branch of government. He is the State's lawyer. He apparently has made a choice that puts him in an unsolvable conflict of interest. He should simply resign. ... By the way, Governor Palin has not made any appointments to the Alaska Supreme Court.
September 17, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are exactly right - there is a clear Conflict of Interest.
Colberg is in violation of the Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct section 1.7 Conflict of Interest.
It also looks like Colberg may be guilty of misconduct. He may be in violation of one or more of the following:
Rule 8.4. Misconduct.
It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:
(a) violate or attempt to violate the rules of professional conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;
(b) commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects;
(c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
(d) state or imply an ability to improperly influence a government agency or official; or,
(e) knowingly assist a judge or judicial officer in conduct that is a violation of applicable rules of judicial conduct or other law. (SCO 1123 effective July 15, 1993)
And here's the section on Reporting Misconduct:
Rule 8.3. Reporting Professional Misconduct.
(a) A lawyer having knowledge that another lawyer has committed a violation of the rules of professional conduct that raises a substantial question as to that lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects, shall inform the appropriate professional authority.
(b) A lawyer having knowledge that a judge has committed a violation of applicable rules of judicial conduct that raises a substantial question as to the judge's fitness for office shall inform the appropriate authority.
(c) This rule does not require disclosure of information protected by Rule 1.6 or information gained by a lawyer or judge while serving as a member of an approved lawyers assistance program to the extent such information would be confidential if it were communicated subject to the attorney-client privilege. (SCO 1123 effective July 15, 1993)
September 18, 2008 12:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a link to the Alaska Attorney Grievance procedure:
http://www.alaskabar.org/index.cfm?id=6486
September 18, 2008 12:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Alaska for sure is THE MOST CORRUPT State in America"
Yes, now that Louisiana's cleaned-up some, Alaska is the best show in town.
As for Colberg, from one lawyer to another, he has an ethical duty not be allow himself to be used like a tool, not to mention act like a tool. What he needs to be thinking about is what is his law practice going to look like in the future if he does not keep all the balls in the air now. The smartest choice would be to butt-out, completely and put on a Cheshire Cat grin.
September 17, 2008 9:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
It does look pretty bad, both ethically, and by the small, unqualified nature of its members.
September 17, 2008 10:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
He also has an ethical DUTY to not bring the profession into disrepute.
He is clearly acting in a manner, publicly, which is disreputable, and likely to damage the public's respect for law and the legal profession.
September 18, 2008 8:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
This whole crew are right at the very bottom of the pit ethically, morally, I have yet to see an honest act in the best interest of transparency and good governance from a single person around either McCain or Palin. Just rotten.
How can a state-run investigation be aggressively halted by partisan actors with personal stake in the outcome at the cusp of a federal election?Is there no mechanism of federal prosecutors to step in and keep the machine running free of encumbrance? Is a single party representative actually attempting to assert some authority over the legislative duty of the state in Alaska?
Can Bill Clinton storm into the Arkansas State House and demand an end to some damaging investigation? Wouldn't the Republican Swine be squealing to the heavens in such an event?
Had the foamy bastard a shred of decency he'd have let the investigation play out as the business of a State, not some embarrassing arm of his own private club.
Just.Plain.Corrupt.
Should these brutal dolts actually manipulate this proper investigation to a halt , and manage to come close to an electoral victory in the Federal , then American democracy is truly a sham, and a Kabuki Dance without substance.
September 17, 2008 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Alaska, have you considered impeaching Palin? You'd be doing us a big favor here in the lower 48.
September 17, 2008 10:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska Women Reject Sarah Palin rally was held his past Saturday.
There was an amazing turnout of like-minded women (and men and children)!
Pics here: http://laurainak.blogspot.com
September 18, 2008 3:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Impeachment requires the LEGISLATURE to act.
FASTER, MORE CREDIBLE, and incapable of being OBSTRUCTED, is RECALL against Palin.
September 18, 2008 8:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
And according to Mudflats, "Talis Colberg just went ”on vacation” to Kansas.
I dunno, just seems like he might be a bit too busy for that right now.
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/
September 17, 2008 11:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palmerbuyer is a Palinbot. He posts all the time supporting Palin in the Anchorage Daily News blogs. You can almost picture the rabid spittle flying in this response. I guess he is also a political wheeler dealer at Fred Meyer and McDonalds.
Anyone that says anything about Palin is politically motivated or just a plain old B**** and Palin is an innocent little lamb. Uh huh.
Monegan did not want "earmarks" (nice attempt at a smear. A+ for effort). He did want funding for the Department of Public Safety. It might have had something to do with Alaska being number one in rapes per capita. Monegan wanted to increase the VPSO program and hire more troopers.
As it has been documented over and over and over again, Wooten was dealt with by the previous Colonel and Commissioner and there was no new evidence presented for Monegan to act on. All the complaints were filed by the Palin clan after the dirty divorce began.
I have contacted Les Gara a couple of times. He has always been a straight shooter. Like me, he finds this spinning, lying cover up by Palin and now McCain an outrageous circus.
I wish more Alaskans would speak up and tell McCain's goons would to get the F*** out of our state.
September 18, 2008 12:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
DON'T WASTE TIME!
START A CITIZEN'S RECALL MOVEMENT AGAINST PALIN!
September 18, 2008 8:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Should I bother? Oh, what the heck.....
1. You say Colberg recused himself "as soon as he knew he had a conflict of interest? Now, was that before or after he made his own call to Monegan about Wooten, thus becoming a material witness? If Colberg has a conflict of interest representing the Governor, which you admit, then he has the same conflict representing other individual members of the administration in litigation against the Legislature, which is also his "client". He is Alaska's lawyer and he cannot represent any individual.
2. I'm sure you do know lots of people in the Valley.
3. Ummm..I'm not sure what your point is. Yep, a bunch of Republican legislators have been convicted of corruption. Although Palin keeps trying to take credit, neither Colberg or Palin had anything to do with it.
4. The Judiciary committee does have subpeona power. Not even the right wing fundamentalist lawyers from Texas who are representing the five Republican legislators or the New York lawyer in the "Truth Squad" denies that. Their argument is that the power is being used wrongfully.
5. Let's assume that you are right and Wooten was a bad cop. I assume you are admitting that Palin did fire Monegan over his unwillingness to fire Wooten. Actually, Palin has always denied this. If she admitted it, it would materially shorten and simplify everything.
September 18, 2008 12:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
He's in over his head. What do you expect from a Palin crony?
September 18, 2008 1:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
About the same as a Bush crony - not much.
September 18, 2008 2:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
It seems that Alaska is VERY fertile ground for corruption. Must be the midnight sun or something. Those long summer days and long winter nights must have a deleterious effect on honesty.
September 18, 2008 3:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nope. It's the Republican Party membership.
September 18, 2008 8:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska looks like a little microcosm reflecting the governance attitudes of the Bush Abomination. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
September 18, 2008 3:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
What kind of fucked-up state constitution makes the state attorney general an appointed rather than an elected official? It's like Alaska was set up to screw and bamboozle its own people.
September 18, 2008 8:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
Why won't Palin release her Tax Returns and Medical Records?
September 18, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Get a life - that's right all of you commenter's who have nothing better to do - them wag your tongues - and type up stupid comments!!!
Seriously go volunteer for a homeless shelter, or a food bank, or a life bank, or something... get a life!!!!
September 19, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink