Tuesday 12 May 2009

Sarah Palin - ethics complaints and lawsuits (lists)



I had previously posted a link to a blog listing all the ethics complaints filed against Sarah Palin. As the link sent people to a pro-Palin blog, some readers and I felt uncomfortable about it, so I decided to compile a list and post it here. I have also included other issues, such as lawsuits and matters raised by APOC and FEC.

Ethics complaints:

1- Kim Chatman ethics complaint about Sarah Palin's legal defense fund, April 27th, 2009

2- Sondra Tompkins ethics complaint about Sarah Palin's attendance at SarahPAC-sponsored dinner in Indiana, April 23rd, 2009

3- Linda Kellen Biegel ethics complaint about Sarah Palin wearing a Team Arctic jacket at an official state event, constituting implicit advertising, March 25th, 2009

4- Andree McLeod ethics complaint about Sarah Palin in DC GOP fundraiser, March 18th, 2009

5- Andree McLeod ethics complaint against Palin's communications director Bill McAllister, January 23rd, 2009

6- Andree McLeod ethics complaint against Palin's Anchorage office director Kris Perry, January 23rd, 2009

7- Zane Henning ethics complaint about Sarah Palin talking about her campaign and promoting her political career from her state office, November 19th, 2008

8- Frank Gwartney ethics complaint about Sarah Palin charging the state for her children to travel with her while conducing official state business, October 24th, 2008

Sarah Palin negotiated a reimbursement to the state of $9,000 in public money she had spent on her children's travel before any action could be taken against her.

9- Troopers Union ethics complaint about Sarah Palin's breach of confidentiality by publicly releasing Trooper Mike Wooten's files, September 5th, 2008

10- Sarah Palin ethics complaint against herself about Troopergate, September 1st, 2008

11- Andree McLeod ethics complaint about Sarah Palin breaching state hiring rules, August 7th, 2008

All dates above are links to articles focusing on each complaint.

Lawsuits:



1- Gregory Charles Royal vs Sarah Palin (failure to issue Juneteenth proclamation)

2- PsychRights vs Sarah Palin et al (forceful drugging of children in care and state institutions)

3- Andree McLeod vs Sarah Palin (secret e-mails)

Others:

APOC, regarding gifts to Sarah Palin

APOC, about Sarah Palin's stance regarding Ballot 4 (Clean Water Act and Pebble mine)

I said it before and I'll say it again, as long as Sarah Palin's ethics violations are investigated by her own appointees, I can't see many of the charges sticking. The only time she came close to an embarrassing exposure relates to number 8 on the list, but her lawyer did his best to spin it in her favour.

Let's hope the courts have more integrity than the Personnel Board and other bodies appointed by Sarah Palin.

Extras:

Other issues that could be raised and investigated: Religiongate, Dairygate, First Dude's webpage.



Bonus:

There's still that "small" matter of who built her nice warm home...
.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting!! An email from Kristan Cole, Trustee of The Alaska Fund Trust:
"Together, we need to raise enough money to get rid of the legal bills as soon as possible so the Governor can put this worry behind her. With our help, she can do her job and lead. Your gift is crucial to this effort!"

http://sarahpalinblog.typepad.com/sarah_palin/2009/05/update-from-kristan-cole-trustee-of-the-alaska-fund-trust.html

regina said...

Anonymous@15:35,

From the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act:

(b) Notice of the receipt by a public officer of a gift with a value in excess of $150,
including the name of the giver and a description of the gift and its approximate value, must be
provided to the designated supervisor within 30 days after the date of its receipt.

They didn't limit the donations to the legal fund to $150 by accident...

http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/ethics/Statutes-AlaskaExecutiveBranchEthicsAct_AS39.52_.pdf

Reg

Anonymous said...

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/051109/loc_438614108.shtml

So they're now resorting to selling lemonade in front of the Gov.'s mansion? Things must be worse than we thought.

Anonymous said...

The Alaska Fund Trust is a slush fund for the benefit of Sarah and friends.

Money going to her lawyers may be used to pay Willow and Bristol claiming they are interns, legal assistants or file clerks in the law office... and nobody will ever know.

Ms Cole the trustee says she is a "volunteer"... you betcha.

The Alaska Fund Trust is a money scam! Bernie Madoff would be proud of it...if he had thought it up.

Dianne said...

I'm still waiting for the ethics complaint in reference to the first dud's webpage - along with all of the others.

sjk from the belly of the plane said...

Exhibit 1: State of AK website, property of the State of AK.

Exhibit 2: Gov. Palins page links to Todd Palins page with State of AK Seal.

Exhibit 3: Todd Palins Page links directly to Iron Dog race page in which he competes for compensation, as well as Iron Dog race sponsors featuring Todd Palin.

Exhibit 4: Todd and Sarah Palin report income from Iron Dog race and sponsors.

Exhibit 5: MISUSE OF OFFICIAL POSlTION (AS 39.52.120)
Public employees may not use their positions for personal gain or to
give an unwarranted benefit or treatment to any person. For example,
public employees may not:
 use their official positions to secure employment or contracts;
 accept compensation from anyone other than the State for
performing official duties;
 use State time, equipment, property or facilities for their own
personal or financial benefit or for partisan political purposes;

Exhibit 6: Use of the State web site to promote an event “for the personal or financial benefit” of the Palin family ” violates (AS 39.52.120)

Case Closed.

Anonymous said...

If sp is still in Juneau, this could be the first time she's stayed there past the legislative session!

I think she rushed back to Wasilla the prior two years, taking Willow and Piper out of the Juneau school (which they only attended during the Leg. Session) and returning them to Wasilla schools.

basheert said...

If all of this is true and accurate, Alaska has a HUGE problem. It has an out of control GINO and NO checks and balances.
Politics sux.

CC ... said...

@basheert:

I echo your sentiment. How all these things can go on day after day with not one reporter, politician, local, state or federal agency, etc., questioning anything is completely mystifying to me. It is beyond surreal. It is not hidden, some of these ethics violations have even been mentioned in the MSM!! If our governor (Charlie Crist) would be 1/10th as outrageous I do believe he would be impeached or recalled. I mention this only because he had high approval rates here from both parties and this is one of GINO's memorized talking points. What gives??????

I have no idea what it will take and sometimes feel all this exposure by a dedicated few (thanks Reg) will be for naught. Sigh ...

sdilmoak said...

Well, Kristan Cole is a FINE choice to be the trustee of the Legal Slush Fund. Her own mother was convicted of stealing close to a million dollars from.....wait for it........trust funds! This happened in Kamloops, BC, Canada. She also was the Chairwoman of the Board of Agriculture who funneled a couple million in illegal loans and equipment to 4 of Sarah Palin's dairy farmer friends. One of those farmers was Palin's childhood babysitter. She sure takes care of her own. "Dairygate" will be the next ethics complaint. The Legislative Audit Committee is on part three of their investigation of "irregularities" this board did with State money.

Kyra said...

It was awhile ago, on another blog, but I seem to remember that the rules or articles of incorporation for the trust say something about being able to re-locate the Alaska fund without restriction. If that's true, can you say Cayman Islands?

onejrkitty said...

"Dianne said...
I'm still waiting for the ethics complaint in reference to the first dud's webpage - along with all of the others.

12 May 2009 16:32"

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS QUIT WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE DIRTY WORK AND FILE ONE YOURSELF

(and to answer the obvious yet unspoken questions, YESI HAVE !)

regina said...

onejrkitty,

I don't know if people have to live in Alaska to pursue some of this stuff.

I'm in France, not an American citizen, for example. I expose the facts and hope those who can will do something...

Reg

Dianne said...

onejrkitty,

I'd love to file one myself but I'm not an Alaskan.

Anonymous said...

I'm not an Alaskan. What to do? This may be off but has anything come of the Wasilla Church fire? Was the ATF or FBI involved, if not, why not? Were the computers destroyed? I have no doubt Sarah's church is tight lipped. How to learn more about their practices when is comes to children? They sure look sweet.
http://www.wasillabible.org/wbc/children.html
Do the Palin children spend much time here?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/156679
Except for the national spotlight, Wasilla Bible Church resembles thousands of conservative evangelical churches across the country.
Palin has said she was baptized in the Roman Catholic church. As a teenager, she began attending the Pentecostal Assemblies of God church in Wasilla.
She attended that Pentecostal church until she was 38 years old, when she switched to Wasilla Bible Church, saying she preferred the children's ministries there.
A spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign has said that Palin attends many churches and does not consider herself to be Pentecostal.

I once read an article on the Assembly of God and how they crusade against teenagers using drugs. It was more scary stuff.
That was not the Wasilla Bible Church were Palin likes the children's ministry.

Lisabeth said...

Onejrkitty...I missed something! What questions? I guess I am slow today. Maybe someone else can tell me what unasked questions she is answering. Are you saying, yes, you have filed complaints yourself?

I am writing letters this week. Posts at other blogs have inspired me to write letters to the media and reporters about these gates. I am going to focus on babygate, housegate and religiongate. I hope others will do it. Other organizations (federal govwrnment) have been mentioned as well. I will feel like I am actually doing something to ATP her!

She isn't the only crooked politician in this country unfortunately but her immoral behavior is so blatant and still no one stops her! It is wrong!

Anonymous said...

That's the spirit Lisabeth ! Don't your know it takes the French to reignite Americans independence from our criminals?

This may be far fetched but with the epidemic in unwed teen pregnancy and young mothers using medicine to baby sit I am thinking of contacting the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG)
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/
The acting Surgeon General is Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H. RADM Galson is also serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health.
Inquiries
Telephone: 301-443-4000
Fax: 301-443-3574
Mailing address:
Office of the Surgeon General
5600 Fishers Lane
Room 18-66
Rockville, MD 20857

There is enough recorded in the public domain to show concern for what we have seen of Bristol and Sarah Palin.

Any suggestions? I'd like to keep up project of sending ?# of e-mails, letters, fax a week.

Anonymous said...

GOVERNOR GRIFTER

Anonymous said...

It seems to me that if someone is exonerated of an ethics complaint by a friend ,relative,an appointee, prior schoolmate that would be an ethics violation,conflict of interest or unlawful. In a court of law someone on a jury would be dismissed for those reasons.What makes it different in the Alaska Govt.Can someone give me an answer that makes sense ?