Petty, Small and Vindictive- The Sarah Palin Story

I really love Sarah Palin's spin on this:

Palin: Troopergate report cleared her of wrongdoing
In a brief telephone interview Saturday with Alaska reporters, Gov. Sarah Palin said she did nothing wrong in the Troopergate affair and appreciates "being cleared of any legal wrongdoing or unethical activity at all."

That's all well and good but it doesn't take a full read of the report to see this on Page 8:

Finding Number One

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides

The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.

Here's the law she broke:

AS 39.52.110. Scope of Code.

(a) The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust. In addition, the legislature finds that, so long as it does not interfere with the full and faithful discharge of an officer's public duties and responsibilities, this chapter does not prevent an officer from following other independent pursuits. The legislature further recognizes that

(1) in a representative democracy, the representatives are drawn from society and, therefore, cannot and should not be without personal and financial interests in the decisions and policies of government;

(2) people who serve as public officers retain their rights to interests of a personal or financial nature; and

(3) standards of ethical conduct for members of the executive branch need to distinguish between those minor and inconsequential conflicts that are unavoidable in a free society, and those conflicts of interests that are substantial and material.

(b) Unethical conduct is prohibited, but there is no substantial impropriety if, as to a specific matter, a public officer's

(1) personal or financial interest in the matter is insignificant, or of a type that is possessed generally by the public or a large class of persons to which the public officer belongs; or

(2) action or influence would have insignificant or conjectural effect on the matter.

(c) The attorney general, designated supervisors, hearing officers, and the personnel board must be guided by this section when issuing opinions and reaching decisions.

And here are the penalties for breaking said law:

AS 39.52.410. Violations; Penalties For Misconduct.

(a) If the personnel board determines that a public employee has violated this chapter, it

(1) shall order the employee to stop engaging in any official action related to the violation;

(2) may order divestiture, establishment of a blind trust, restitution, or forfeiture; and

(3) may recommend that the employee's agency take disciplinary action, including dismissal.

(b) If the personnel board determines that a nonsalaried member of a board or commission has violated this chapter, it (1) shall order the member to refrain from voting, deliberating, or participating in the matter; (2) may order restitution; and (3) may recommend to the appropriate appointing authority that the member be removed from the board or commission. A violation of this chapter is grounds for removal of a board or commission member for cause. If the personnel board recommends that a board or commission member be removed from office, the appointing authority shall immediately act to remove the member from office.

(c) If the personnel board determines that a former public officer has violated this chapter, it shall

(1) issue a public statement of its findings, conclusions, and recommendation; and

(2) request the attorney general to exercise all legal and equitable remedies available to the state to seek whatever relief is appropriate.

(d) If the personnel board finds a violation of this chapter by a public officer removable from office only by impeachment, it shall file a report with the president of the Senate, with its finding. The report must contain a statement of the facts alleged to constitute the violation.

Will she get recalled over this? Probably not, but it is not as she claims "clearing her of all wrong doing" That is beyond spin, it is dumb.

And if you think this is a partisan hack job, the report could have died upon review by the Alaskan Legislature. It needed 8 votes to be made public on the 12 person panel. The release was approved 12-0 by 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats. They must all be partisan hacks.

Also prominently in the report is that the prosecutor found no credible threat that Trooper Wooten had threatened them. This was strictly to cause him to lose his job so her sister would get custody of the kids.

What a petty, small, vindictive, person Sarah Palin is.