I realize that this has no political legs...although why a finding that the potential VP reformer Moose with lipstick having violated ethics laws isn't news escapes me.
NBC on Nightly News last night (OCt. 16) repeated the canard that Palin was found to have abused her powers, but hadn't violated the law.
Here's my Email to them...I sent it to the general Email first, but will send to the exectuive editor and Brian Williams directly as well.
Remember...if we don't insist Palin is a lawbreaker, we'll have a never ending flood of PBS polls and Sam the non-Plumber braking news action alerts posted...wait...we already do....
Dear Sir or Madam:
On last night's (Thursday, October 16)Nightly News, your report again repeated a factually incorrect statement that Sarah Palin had been found to have 'abused' her powers, but had not violated the law. This is factually incorrect. The exact wording of page 8 of the Branchflower report is as follows (emphasis mine).
"I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a)..."
A statute is a law and Branchflower found she violated that law.
That Palin might have the statutory power to fire the Public Safety Commissioner (finding two), does not mitigate finding one. Alaska law specifies that a public officer must use their offices for the best interests of the state. 9 Administrative code 52.020 and 52.990(a) state:
" A public officer may not take or withhold official action on a matter if the action is based on improper motivation"
""improper motivation" means a motive not related to the best interests of the state."
Further, Palin violated the law by allowing Todd Palin to pursue the matter from her office (emphasis mine). 39.52.560(14) states:
""official action" means a recommendation, decision, approval, disapproval, vote, or other similar action, including inaction, by a public officer;"
39.52.010(a)(3) states
"Holding public office or employment is a public trust and that as one safeguard of that trust, the people require public officers to adhere to a code of ethics."
It is not optional, it is matter of state law that public officials adhere to the Executive Ethics Act
Finally, although Governor Palin is personally entitled to the assumption of innocence here, it is a material matter for your journalistic coverage (upon which many people rely) that you present things as factually accurately as possible. The Branchflower report specifically states in its first finding that Governor Palin violated state ethics laws. This finding is not in the slightest bit ambiguous, nor in anyway negated or mitigated by the second finding. You are doing your viewers a disservice by repeating the opposite. An excellent summary of the law may be found starting on page 48 of the Branchflower report.
Respectfully,
Steve Parsons