In The Blogs

Troopergate

| Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:37 AM PDT

TROOPERGATE....The latest on the Troopergate investigation:

ABC News has exclusively learned that Alaska Senator Hollis French will announce today that he is moving up the release date of his investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her office to get the Alaska public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, fired. The results of the investigation were originally scheduled for release Oct. 31 but will now come almost three weeks earlier, according to sources.

Hmmm. Obviously this could be bad for Palin if the final report is both negative and persuasive. On the other hand, if it looks like French, a Democrat, is moving up the date for purely political purposes, it could actually make things easier on her. Perhaps we'll have a better read on this later today after French makes his announcement and explains what's going on.

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Kevin Drum is a political blogger for Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here.

Comments

Submitted by Aris (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:52 AM PDT.

Sullivan reports that "Todd Palin's former business partner files an emergency motion to have his divorce papers sealed."

Hey, pass the popcorn! I can't shake the suspicion that all these self-righteous Christianists are really a bunch of swingers. There's a lot about Palin that we don't know, and it's going to involve sex.
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Submitted by rusrus (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:53 AM PDT.

Wasn't the Palin/McCain scheme to delay the release date a fwe weeks until after the election? Now, a proposed delay will have to be 1+ months to avoid being leaked pre-election. Rather have it early than not at all...

Submitted by junebug (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:54 AM PDT.

I'm not sure how he can have enough information to conclude the investigation without the cooperation of the governor's office. He has access to the relevant communications? I'm guessing he doesn't, since she's both clammed up & lawyered up. And I'm not sure that he's furthering his independent bona fides by his early proclamation that, "It's likely to be damaging to the Governor's administration."

Submitted by Ken (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:56 AM PDT.

I would argue that moving the release date up is actually good for Palin-McCain and probably the right thing to do.

It's an old media convention -- back when the media had some dignity and values -- not to drop a game-changing bomb in the edition right before an election. If you've got something, release it with enough advance time for the accused to respond.

I realize that this is all very old-school in the age of 24-hour news and I'm no fan of McCain-Palin, but again, I think this is the ethical thing to do and not a partisan tactic.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:56 AM PDT.

Monegan was an at-will employee. This is a dead end.

[This is the last unsigned post from you that will stay up. -Mod]

Submitted by Aris (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:57 AM PDT.

Off subject, but has anyone else's jaw just about dropped when Cindy Lou of the $300,000 outfit, Mother Teresa's BFF, was described in her RNC video as someone who, "accomplishes miraculous, life-changing things for others in places around the world few would dare to go."

Are these people laying it on thick, or what? Will it work?
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Submitted by agentzero (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 11:06 AM PDT.

"At will employee" is irrelevant. The inquiry is not about whether he had a contractual right to stay employed. The inquiry is about improper use of power.

Let me use an analogy. Suppose I ask my secretary to have sex with me. She refuses. I then fire her. She was an at-will employee. Am I off scot-free?

Of course not.

Submitted by Howard (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 11:06 AM PDT.

I think French rightly determined that the October 31 investigation release date was too big a conflict with the November 4 election. Moving it forward was a prudent and pragmatic decision, regardless of the report's conclusions. Whether the political pressure exerted by Palin was legal or not, the perception of pettiness and vindictiveness cannot be ignored.

Submitted by Fred Flintrock (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 11:49 AM PDT.

Hmmm. Maybe she needs to do a nude layout in Vanity Fair to counteract the bad press....

Submitted by cmac (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 11:56 AM PDT.

My first thought was that moving it up would cushion the impact - the campaign has three weeks to counteract. Pushing it back so it was filed after the election would have been a clearly partisan thing to do.

Submitted by Proudhon (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 12:18 PM PDT.

Whether the report is released this afternoon or after the election or on the day before Judgment Day, there will be an outcry that it is politically motivated. If Palin's crew refuses to cooperate, the evidence gathering part of the investigation will pass more quickly, will it not? And evidence favorable to Gov. Palin is less likely to appear if her side remains silent. Thus an early report and one less likely to be favorable to her - just common sense.

Submitted by William Smith (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 12:46 PM PDT.

It's a negotiating tactic. Both Palin and the staffer on record as pressuring Monegan are pleading "executive privelege" to avoid being deposed (i.e. being placed under Oath). French's tactic is to say, "If we don't need to review your testimony under oath, we can wrap this up early based onl Monegan's deposition."

Submitted by Zli (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 12:50 PM PDT.

Oh, good. Just another closed government lawyered up obstructionist. conveniently placed to continue the works of the current set of closed government lawyered up obstructionists.

Is America NOT sick of their government being closed to them, the taxpayer, who provides the income of these nice people with their nice homes and nice planes and nice health plans?

Submitted by alex (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 12:57 PM PDT.

Aris: There's a lot about Palin that we don't know, and it's going to involve sex.

I hope so, because silly little things like corruption, incompetence, or taking the country to war based on lies barely merits a yawn.

But sex, that sells! Does Sarah Palin have a blue dress?

Submitted by rory @ parentalcation (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 1:15 PM PDT.

The trooper Wooten didn't come across as a very sympathetic person in the CNN interview.

Submitted by skippy (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 1:59 PM PDT.

wooten, by all accounts, is not a very sympathetic person.

walt monegan, the guy who was fired, however, was an incredibly popular police chief before he became the head of public affairs dept. where he still retained large support.

the question is, did maggie o'connell pressure him to fire wooten, and then fire monegan when he refused to buckle under pressure?

i'd say the whole thing would make an interesting book someone ought to write, but she'd probably just ban it from the library anyway.

Submitted by anon (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 2:13 PM PDT.

"On the other hand, if it looks like French, a Democrat, is moving up the date for purely political purposes..."

Huh?! I'm no practitioner of the political dark arts, but every campaign everywhere would rather see something negative about their candidate come out three weeks before an election (when it can be spun around and forgotten) than just five days before voting day. That's just Campaign 101 stuff.

Submitted by Seitz (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 3:28 PM PDT.

Sullivan reports that "Todd Palin's former business partner files an emergency motion to have his divorce papers sealed."

Crazy-Ass Prediction:
Contrary to wild rumors last week, Palin's youngest baby is most certainly hers....

....but not Todd's.

Submitted by Seitz (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 3:30 PM PDT.

every campaign everywhere would rather see something negative about their candidate come out three weeks before an election (when it can be spun around and forgotten) than just five days before voting day.

I agree with this, and I partially suspect that's why French is moving it up. He doesn't want the report dismissed as a dirty tricks October surprise. Poor guy doesn't know that know matter how thoroughly document and air tight the report turns out to be, it will be dismissed by Republicans, who will attack him with the fury of a bull moose during rutting season.

Submitted by rory @ parentalcation (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 3:56 PM PDT.

The local scuttlebutt here in Alaska is that Hollis French is going to be removed from being in charge of the investigation.

Submitted by Grumpy (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 4:45 PM PDT.

Your scuttlebutt is a little premature, rory. French is under pressure to step aside, yes, but his removal is not imminent. A single Republican has accused French of being too partisan because French predicted the outcome of the investigation would be seen as an "October surprise."

...if it looks like French, a Democrat, is moving up the date for purely political purposes, it could actually make things easier on her.

The date was moved to Oct. 10 at the request of French's Republican counterpart in the House. As anon @ 4:13 pointed out, that's supposed to minimize the appearance of hackery.

By the way, did ABC "exclusively learn" this fact before or after French issued a standard press release? Because judging by the timing, ABC simply re-posted the press release.

Submitted by Dee (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 5:42 PM PDT.

"We are satisfied that the report can be finished by no later than October 10, 2008," state Rep. Jay Ramras, the REPUBLICAN chairman of Alaska's House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement announcing the decision.

Submitted by Mike Lee (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 9:57 PM PDT.

This is a win/win for McCain/Palin If she is exonerated they have more time for that to sink in, and if she comes out guilty, they have more time to fight back. One week before the election (end of October) would be a disastrous worst-case october suprise.

Submitted by Ross Best (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:34 PM PDT.

The release date should be the day after the report is done. And that should be as soon as possible but not at an arbitrarily selected time.

Submitted by TKevan (not verified) on Sat Sep. 6, 2008 4:29 PM PDT.

French's recent interview with ABCNews.com, in which the senator said the report was going to be an "October surprise" and would "likely be damaging to the administration,"

Wow, already knows the answer before the investigation is done. How could you get any fairer than that?? (Please note sarcasm)

Submitted by Alexandra (not verified) on Mon Sep. 8, 2008 6:54 PM PDT.

For me, the bottom line is whatever report they are doing, I want it before the election. If Palin has acted with abuse of power, or has tried to cover up such an action, I have a right to know that BEFORE I vote.

I have been saving for a

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