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Alaska Lawmakers Could be Meeting For A While
Sounds like the members of the Legislative Council in Alaska, who are meeting behind closed doors to vote on whether to release the Trooper-Gate report to the public, could be there a while.
A source who's at the state legislative building where the meeting is taking place reported moments ago that the lawmakers just ordered lunch.
And the Anchorage Daily News adds:
Two lawmakers who've stepped out of the meeting briefly say it could be hours.Senate President Lyda Green, a Wasilla Republican, and Rep. Peggy Wilson of Wrangell said the session is moving slowly.
How slow? Wilson was asked.
"Slooowwww," she said.
During the public portion of the meeting, Wilson said that she had not yet had a chance to read the report -- which centers on the firing by Governor Sarah Palin of the state's former public safety commissioner -- and suggested that she would therefore be reluctant to release it publicly today.
Josh
Zachary
Given that Anchorage is 4 hr behind EST, the smartest thing the R's can do is release the report late this afternoon. An obvious cover-up will just call more attention to the story, and there are always leaks.
October 10, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do they need a simple majority to decide to release it? 4 of the 10 council members are Dems and another is Lyda Green. That should really bring it to 50/50 right there. Or am I missing something?
October 10, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the makeup of the legislative committee is 10 Republicans AND 4 Democrats, which means it would take at least 3 of the Rs to break even.
October 10, 2008 5:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I KNEW I was missing something. Duh. Thanks.
October 10, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
If it will take some time, this does not have the ring of "exoneration."
October 10, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Issues here are big and intertwined . . .
Given the likelihood that the report will contain actionable unhappiness for the polar bear killer . . . the report opens Alaska up for a wrongful termination suit or two in the least.
While the report is likely to be helpful to the DEMs, enthusiasm for its release will be added to the charges of the report being a politically polarized farce.
REPs have to balance some genuine dislike of the Tad/Brad banger and a desire to avoid disappearing into political obscurity as the next Federalist/Whig-like anti-democracy party.
Everyone knows that the insane one and the voice-that-kills will lose to Obama-Biden, so that's not a big deal BUT the potential blow to Stevens and Young will guarentee the end of Republicant rule . . .
Frankly, the evidence out and about points to indictable offenses . . and the good folk of Alaska must be working hard to figure out replacement/secession options . . .
A Friday night dump won't help much as people are trully interested in the outcome . . . SO . . .
October 10, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
It seems likely that some privacy laws were violated in giving Todd access to Wooten's personnel records as well.
I agree that the effect on the Republicans' failing prez campaign may not be the only -- or even the primary -- concern here. Republican control of AK itself may be a nearer and dearer problem for these people.
October 10, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good point. This could tank her local aspirations as well as the national ones. But I still don't get why the public doesn't want to know all it can, you know, BEFORE a major election. Or is that just too partisan?
October 10, 2008 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ms. Wilson added that she was a slow reader.
How slow? Wilson was asked.
"Slooowwww," she said.
October 10, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is also a chance that the council is being too clever by half. If the majority members of the council wanted to hold on to it for a while so that when they do release the report it will be closer to the election.
October 10, 2008 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
If it's best to release bad news on Friday afternoon, releasing it on Friday afternoon in Alaska is even better. They're 4 hr behind Eastern time. They're just stalling to make it as late as possible. You heard it here first.
October 10, 2008 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
If the legislature sits on the report there's going to be a lot of very angry Alaskan citizens, some of them wolves, who do not enjoy being shot at from a helicopter, and moose that do not enjoy being made into mooseburgers.
Remember, the legislature guys and gals are coming up for re-election sooner or later, eh?
October 10, 2008 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Remember Watergate. It's all about the coverup. I'd love to see the Republicans block the report. That might have more impact than to put it out in the open.
October 10, 2008 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Take Out The Trash Day.
The report will be released some time after 7 PM EST to ensure it misses any mention in the national evening news programs.
Thing is, it may not work. It will take reporters a bit of time to read through this anyway.
If the report calls for a Special Prosecutor, the story will definitely survive the weekend and probably be a big deal going forward.
If they're no call for a special prosecutor, I suspect TrooperGate may die until after the election.
October 10, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I read that copies of the report were numbered and had watermarks so if it were leaked they would know who did it.
October 10, 2008 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree they will probably release it later tonight or sometime early in the weekend. But I wouldn't mind if it wasn't until Monday to start out the brand new weekly news cycle instead of playing out initially over a weekend.
October 10, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Legislative Council just voted 12-0 to release the report, except for certain parts they consider confidential.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/132527
October 10, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
The committee apparently voted unanimously to release the report.
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/132527
October 10, 2008 8:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to David Schuster on Countdown, the report states that Palin abused her position.
October 10, 2008 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Found it.
Here's a PDF of the report (of course, without whichever parts were redacted)
http://media.adn.com/smedia/2008/10/10/16/Branchflowerreport.source.prod_affiliate.7.pdf
October 10, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink