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State Employees Will Honor Trooper-Gate Subpoenas
On the heels of the dismissal of the Alaska attorney general's suit to quash subpoenas issued in the legislature's Trooper-Gate investigation, seven subpoenaed state employees who had previously said they would not cooperate with the probe have now agreed to testify.
From the Anchorage Daily News:
"Despite my initial concerns about the subpoenas, we respect the court's decision to defer to the Legislature," [Alaska Attorney General Talis] Colberg said. "We are working with Senator Hollis French to arrange for the testimony of the seven state employee plaintiffs."
French has said they still expect the investigation's report to be completed by this Friday.
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Josh
Zachary
As long as they were convinced the McCain team had a chance of protecting them, they had a chance.
Now they see the winds changing and will obey the law...they are afraid of facing real consequences.
October 5, 2008 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Think of it as a game:
That's the McCain playbook on the issue. If they could stall the investigation until after the election, whatever the investigation found would be moot. Palin would be the VP electee and Alaska could go to hell.
October 6, 2008 4:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess that McCain camp isn't all-powerful in their attempts to keep a lid on this? This sould be an interesting week.
October 5, 2008 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the last hurdle they erected was the comment made by French that the findings could be an October Surprise. Because of that, they claim the committee is biased to the outcome and is not fair and impartial.
Problem is French was only speaking for himself at the time, not the committee, which is made up of seven individuals, of which five are repugs. French could recuse himself from the decision process and let the other six form a decison based on the info gathered by Branchflower. I seriously doubt a single Democrat has the power to sway five repugs, especially if one considers the panel voted 7-0 to go with the investigation in the first place. And that was way before McCain picked Palin as his running mate.
October 6, 2008 4:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wouldn't it be something if obeying a subpoena had a trickle-up effect?
October 5, 2008 9:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a delay tactic. No way the findings can be released by Friday if they're only going to start talking to him this week. It's all a stall tactic, to buy another week or two before the release. And if they can stall long enough, it will then be too close to the election to release it without the Campaign calling "Partisan Politics" and "Political Hitjob". So Branchflower will have to wait until after the election.
The GOP lawyers will be out of town before the west coast votes are counted should Obama win one of Fla, Va, NC or Ohio and wont look back and Gov. Palin will have a huge mess to go back to. If the McCain/Palin camp wins, expect this to be swept under the rug and forgotten as this isn;t going to stick and bring down the vice-president elect.
The GOP machine is just gumming the works - this is a loss for the investigation and a transparent delay tactic as there has ever been.
October 5, 2008 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's putting the cart before the horse. The investigation was set into motion before McCain picked Palin and was scheduled to terminate towards the end of October. The legislative panel realized their report would have the effect of being thought as a partisan political move to de-rail the election so the date was moved up to avoid such a claim.
If there is any finger pointing, it should be at McCain for not taking this investigation into account before he made his selection.
I do so hope the Alaska Supreme Court dismisses McCain's railroad attempt to influence the Alaska political scene and sends him a message that his campaign does not trump the law nor ongoing legal proceedings enacted in good faith by state legislators to uncover abuse of power by elected officals.
October 6, 2008 4:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
If I was one of the seven, I'd re-arrange my schedule to get my fanny testifying pronto. I'd have no wish to have have "Was One of the Troopergate 7" written on my tombstone.
October 5, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now if we could get our VP candidate to obey the law. This is a portent pf a McCain administration where the rule of law would be according to Dick Cheney's bowel movements.
October 5, 2008 10:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
That photo -- how long has Dave Barry been AG of Alaska? That explains a lot!
October 5, 2008 11:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's gonna get dirty...
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/
October 5, 2008 11:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
The trial court smacked down the AG pretty hard for not being able to cite any law in support of his claims that the legislature could not exercise any investigative oversight over Alaska's executive branch. The AK AG is supposed to represent the citizens of Alaska, not Sarah Palin or the McCain campaign. Mr. Colberg must feel that the Alaska Supreme Court is unlikely to reverse the trial court. He is also looking at the likelihood that instead of a sweet McCain-Palin administration job, he faces a return of a politically damaged Gov. Palin. He probably also knows that she is guilty as hell with respect to this investigation. He'll still need to work for a living after her term is up, and appears to have realized that the best way to keep his law license is to stop being a Palin hack and comply with legitimate court orders.
October 6, 2008 12:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Or maybe he's hedging his bet that if Palin doesn't get elected and returns to Alaska, she'll get impeached so he's buttering up the Lt. Governor to be his teamplayer when he takes over as governor.
October 6, 2008 5:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ahhhh but will they tell the truth? I have my doubts, yeap yeap.
If they were law abiding citizens they would have honored the subpoenas when it was served; hence, they won't hesitate to support their Gov.
Like everything connected with McDrain, I feel really sad.
October 6, 2008 12:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm still wishing for the people of Alaska to take their state back by recalling her butt! Having Alaska law stomped flat under the heals of McCain's hit squad can't be a very comforting feeling. Even those who thought Sarah was probably in the right on this issue must have their doubts now that the Brute Squad has had their way with the state.
October 6, 2008 12:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
By agreeing to testify and then dragging their feet in actually appearing, they might just be able to keep the investigation open until after the elections. What a strategy...
October 6, 2008 12:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
My thought exactly.
"Oh, gee, I really want to testify now, but I'm all tied up until... October 23."
Out of seven, at least three will have scheduling confilcts that push out past the November 4 election. Just watch.
-- ARG
October 6, 2008 10:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
What will happen to Palin when the McLame campaign loses and Sarah loses the Governor job next term? Do you think that the Washington uber Repub elite like Karl Rove or Bill Kristol will help her? NOT!!! Palin will be the no job, no friends, no nothing, of the lying liar of the county. Sadly, she is expendable and will be used by her Party as they see fit.
October 6, 2008 1:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't matter if the McCain ticket wins in November and/or if Palin is cited for abuse of power and impeached in Alaska. The repug$ are prepping her for a run in 2012 regardless.
October 6, 2008 5:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is no way this halfwit can be a credible presidential candidate. None. Besides, the 2012 nomination won't be worth shit to Republicans in the middle of the prosperity that accompanies a Democratic administration.
Palin couldn't get 30% of the vote against President Obama.
October 6, 2008 6:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't they learn their lesson with Dan Quayle? I think the entire Republican movement since can best be summed up in his own words:
"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful."
October 6, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...dismissal of the Alaska attorney general's suit to quash subpoenas issued in the legislature's Trooper-Gate investigation,..."
Losing is court was not part of the plan. The people will testify under oath and they will not lie because they know the investigators already know the truth. Perjury is not worth it. The report is likely finished already just waiting for conformation of the facts they already know. The purpose of this investigation and report is a first step to consider impeachment. They moved it up so it would not affect the national elections. It will get released on time with or without their testimony.
http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/492077.html
"French said he told the newspaper that nothing might come of the investigation or -- in a worst case scenario -- it could lead to impeachment proceedings."
October 6, 2008 4:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Perjury is not worth it.
Depends on how much sugar is used to sweeten the pot. Telling the truth will be the equivalent of being fired for cause. Their careers in government over and little to no chance of gainful employment cause everyone will know. Whereas, denial is useful if the questions could be misinterpreted and the investigator doesn't dig any further.It can also save one's career if played right. I suspect all seven may have been instructed how to respond to specific lines of questioning.
But the bottom line is McCain has made a huge mountain out of a molehill and has shown his disrespect for the rule of law and those legislators attempting to investigate possible abuse of power by an elected politician.
October 6, 2008 6:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seems to me even the repub legislators in Alaska, who are beholden to their constituents, will be powerfully affected by the mood of voters. No one wants their state tampered with. If you've been reading mudflats, you know that there have been a number of demonstrations by Alaskans fed up with what's going on. And the pro-Palin faction seems to be drawing fewer people than the anti-Palin one.
Given the Alaskan view of themselves as independent and able to take care of themselves, and given that they know the eyes of the nation are upon them, I think that's a powerful incentive to do the right thing here and stand up for ethics and the rule of law. It's bad enough for them that Palin has sullied herself and sullied her State, but at a time when they too can see things moving toward a powerful landslide election, it just seems to me that there will be a strong undertow up there, dragging Palin down. It does not serve the citizens or the state to go down with her. I think they'll stand up and demand that justice is done - and done by Alaskans.
There have been interesting psychological studies done showing that when people do tasks in front of a mirror, they are more self-conscious. Experts do a better job. The national scrutiny they face in Alaska is like doing something in front of a mirror.
The Facilitatrix above asked a simple question. I think it bears pondering.
October 6, 2008 6:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've been reading Mudflats and Andrew Halcro's blog and agree that the people in Alaska are waking up to what's going on in their state. Palin introduced wedge issues and politics to the state and has been able to run all the way to the governor's office because no one realized what she was doing; it was not the usual politics for Alaskans. Now McCain rolls in the big political machine and the entire state is reeling from a broadside of wedge issues and politics the likes of which they have never seen. Some actually think their state is under siege by a foreign country called the Lower 48. While they may not like it, the governor has appointed people in positions that run interference for McCain and minimalize anyone who questions or drags them into court to keep they quiet until they can get a better handle on things. Alaskans are starting to wonder what the hell has happened to Alaska in the past few months since Palin was selected as Mcain's VP nominee.
October 6, 2008 6:25 AM | Reply | Permalink