I've OCRed the original report into text which is searchable, and which you can copy/paste. That document can be downloaded HERE.
Today, the findings in Troopergate, the investigation into an alleged abuse of power scandal, have been authorized for release by the Alaska Legislature. Just in case you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, the investigation focuses on whether Sarah Palin exerted improper influence in getting her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired. The investigator, Steve Branchflower, has delivered his findings in a 263 page report to the Alaska Legislature, who voted to release it to the public.
The Council voted 12-0 to release the report, except for certain parts deemed confidential.
As the updates start coming in, I'll be posting them in this diary, below...
Note: As opposed to the diary entry on the rec list, this entry will focus more on the substance of the report as it comes out than today's process. (Number of comments is getting unwieldy there, as it is.)
UPDATE XVII:
Some more interesting details on Todd's involvement, from pages 195-199 of the report.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Well, let me rephrase the question. Are you present at cabinet meetings, generally? Are you a participant?
MR. COLBERG: Yes, I am.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Did there ever come a time over the last 18 months, or so, that you saw Todd Palin present at a cabinet meeting?
MR. COLBERG: I have seen Todd Palin at cabinet meetings. I cannot tell you if it was — are you saying 18 months meaning from the start of the Administration?
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Right, from January of '07. MR. COLBERG: I have seen —
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: That's right — January of '07, because the governor was sworn in on December 5th, so starting January of '07. Are they monthly meetings, or what is the frequency of the meetings?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: Again, I'm not certain how that relates to the proper scope of this investigation.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: You have seen Mr. Palin there?
MR. COLBERG : I have seen him at cabinet, a cabinet meeting. MR. BRANCHFLOWER: One cabinet meeting?
MR. COLBERG : I believe I've seen him at two cabinet meetings. I don't know if there's ever been any more.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: If someone had said that they have seen him at more than one or two cabinet meetings, would that give you pause?
MR. COLBERG : At more than two?
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Yeah.
MR. COLBERG : That would give me pause, but it's possible.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Are cabinet meetings open to the public? MR. COLBERG : No to my knowledge.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Is Todd Palin a state employee, to your knowledge?
MR. COLBERG : : No.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Do you know why he was allowed to remain there?
MR. COLBERG : No.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Have you ever inquired of anyone about why he was present at cabinet meetings?
MR. COLBERG : No.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: To your knowledge, was he ever cc'd on emails circulated that involved state business?
MR. COLBERG : Yes.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Can you describe what your recollection is about him being cc'd on emails involving state business?
MR. COLBERG : I have been shown emails that have been subject to FOIA requests that have had his name on them.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Can you give an estimate of the number of those emails?
MR. COLBERG : I have no idea.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: More than one or two? MR. COLBERG : Probably, but I don't know.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Do you know why his name would have been included on emails circulated on, regarding matters that are state business?
MR. COLBERG : No.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Were you aware of it prior to July the 11th of 2008?
MR. COLBERG : If I was aware of it, it wasn't something I registered as something that would be noteworthy.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Do you know what his email is? MR. COLBERG : His email address?
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Yes, his email address.
MR. COLBERG : I don't know it off the top of my head, no.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Did you ever inquire of anyone, what the purpose of including him — assuming for the sake of my question that he was included — in emails regarding State business? Did you ever inquire of anyone why, what his interest was in being included?
MR. COLBERG : No.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, Madam Clerk, why don't you mark this? I'm going to hand you one of the emails that I have in mind and ask if you can identify if, if you recognize it. When you get done with that, let me just read it into the record. It's fairly short. Do you recognize Exhibit 1?
MR. COLBERG : I don't recall, but you showed it to me.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: It's an email from the governor. For the record, I'll describe it. It's an email from the governor, sent July 17th, 2007 at 6:16 in the morning, and it's to former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan with a cc to you and a copy to an email address lek9wnr@yahoo', and I have reason to believe that's Todd Palin's email, so I'll ask you to accept that for the purpose of my question. It reads: "Walt, we'll ask you to chime in on Gara's proposal regarding the gun issue in today's ADN when we all sit down to discuss this issue. The first thought that hit me when reading Gara's note about people not being able to buy guns when they're threatening to kill someone went to my ex-brother in law, the trooper, who threatened to kill my dad, yet was not even reprimanded by his bosses and still, to this day, carries a gun. Of course, we can't have those standards. Remember when the death threat was reported and follow on threats from Mike that he was going to 'bring Sarah and her family down'? Instead of any reprimand, we were told by trooper union personnel that we'd be sued if we talked about those threats. Amazing, and he's still a trooper, and he still carries a gun, and he still tells anyone that will listen that he will 'never work for that bitch', me, because he has such anger and disdain towards my family. So, consistency is needed here. No one's above the law. If the law needs to be changed to not allow access to guns for people who threaten to kill someone, it must apply to everyone. Hopefully we'll all meet on this soon, as Gara will be expecting a response." Now, you recognize "Gara" as being Les Gara, a legislator, right?
MR. COLBERG : Right.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And, apparently, "the ADN" is a reference to the Anchorage Daily News.
MR. COLBERG : That would be my —
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: You would agree, okay. Apparently, this email has some reference to some pending legislation by Les Gara. Are you familiar with that legislation — what it was about, or —
MR. COLBERG : Not off the top of my head, but he has sponsored lots of legislation.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Would you agree that it probably is about some legislation that Gara had proposed?
MR. COLBERG : It appears to be.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: So, accepting for the sake of my question, that this email address is her husband's email address, and we know who the other recipients are — Walter Monegan and you — coming from the governor, do you have any explanation for why he was included in the distribution of what appears to be State business?
MR. COLBERG : No.
UPDATE XVI:
Pretty good money quote, from p.186:
MR. MONEGAN: You know, when I first got fired, obviously, I was confused. I had no idea. I suspected. But why I feel more certain now than I did in July is that I have watched through the media where she would make -- well, he didn't recruit enough, or he wasn't a budget player, or he wasn't concerned about the Bush enough. And each one of those I know are inaccurate. So by her statements, it literally was a process of elimination for me. In my mind, what was the central figure? What was the central theme through the 17 months of my tenure at DPS? And that was Wooten, from the beginning to the end.
UPDATE XV:
And here's a pretty interesting interview with Monegan in regards to dealing with Todd Palin. You know, the Todd Palin who doesn't have any official government role.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, in your dealings with Todd Palin, are you aware of his occupation and whether he was involved with the union or is a union member?
MR. MONEGAN: I believe someone once told me that Todd Palin was a shop steward in his union.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And Michael Wooten is a member, and at all times that are material to our deposition this afternoon, he was a member of the Public Safety Employees Association, correct?
MR. MONEGAN: Yes. That's the union.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, did it ever occur to you to wonder -¬when you told Mr. Palin that the matter had been investigated, that discipline had been imposed and the matter was imposed, did it ever occur to you to ask him, or did you consider asking him something along the lines: Look, you're a union person. You know what the union procedures are, generally speaking, that once the discipline has been imposed, the matter is closed. Did that topic ever come up in your conversation with Todd Palin?
MR. MONEGAN: No. I thought it, but I didn't discuss it. I thought that he should have known better. And I certainly thought the governor should have known better, as the mayor of Wasilla, handling personnel issues, as well.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Did you think it was improper -- when you say I think that he should have known better and the governor should have known better, are you saying that it is your opinion that it was an improper thing for them to ask you about, given the relationship that existed -- the employment relationship that existed between -- well, I guess there's no relationship between you and Todd, but certainly between the governor and you.
MR. MONEGAN: I thought it was kind of a -- something that you wouldn't normally put on your official duties. Because they were -- to me, I interpreted this as they were asking me officially to look at and take some action or do something that would involve a personal issue that they were involved in, or their family was anyway.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: You used the term "frustration." How about angry? Did you sense any anger?
MR. MONEGAN: I sensed it more from Todd, I think. I think he's a little bit more passionate and vocal, and that -- and perhaps that's understandable.
UPDATE XIV:
Here's an interesting section from pages 155-158 of the report. It helps to show the extent of the vendetta held by Gov. Palin. She ended up not going to an event because Trooper Wooten appeared in a poster promoting the event.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, the police memorial celebration was to occur at the Alaska State Trooper headquarters on Tudor Road here in Anchorage?
MR. MONEGAN: That's correct. Right in front of the crime lab, which is our --
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And there is a flag pole there and a memorial -- a stone memorial there with the names of the officers who have fallen in the line of duty?
MR. MONEGAN: That's correct.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And that's where this was to have taken place, correct?
MR. MONEGAN: Yes, it was.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, so it was you who dropped off this photograph that was to be used somehow in conjunction with the celebration?
MR. MONEGAN: Yeah. In fact, it was a poster that we had used this photograph, we made it into a poster. And we actually used it the year before, as well.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Let me ask you to identify what Exhibit 785 is.
MR. MONEGAN: Exhibit 7 is a glossy photo of an Alaska State Trooper in formal dress blue uniform, standing, holding a US flag and saluting it. And the picture is taken from the angle of looking through the arm over the shoulder of a saluting trooper in the foreground.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And the approximate size of this photo is approximately 8.5 by 11, right?
MR. MONEGAN: That's correct.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, but the actual poster itself was a larger -
MR. MONEGAN: We did.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: -- (indiscernible), wasn't it?
MR. MONEGAN: I think it was, like, 15 by 17, whatever that -- the largest that they can make. And what we did is I wanted those posters blown up advertising police memorial day and distributed to all the detachments and posts across the state. It's a momentous time. I mean, we want to honor those who have fallen, and remind people that -- that we believe in something larger than ourselves.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And so was this -- was this -- what we have here is a picture that you've been referring to as a poster.
MR. MONEGAN: That's correct.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Was it intended to be posted in public places?
MR. MONEGAN: Within the DPS section, yes. I mean, in the various windows of detachments and whatnot. I certainly didn't make enough of these so that they would go in cars' windows or anything like that.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Okay. And so you dropped this photograph off at the governor's office and gave it to who?
MR. MONEGAN: I left it with the receptionist. And then I returned to my car, drove back to the headquarters. And I was just walking into my office and got a phone call.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: From?
MR. MONEGAN: Kris Perry, who is, again, the director of the Anchorage office for the governor.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Okay. And what did Kris Perry tell you about this photograph?
MR. MONEGAN: If I could try to quote it, what I recall is: Walt, what are you thinking? Why did you send a poster over here that has a picture of Mike Wooten on it?
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And your reaction was?
MR. MONEGAN: I didn't know. I don't. I didn't know what -- I didn't know who these troopers were.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Tell us about the conversation.
MR. MONEGAN: Well, Chris is the one that -- if you recall, that I had spoken to in regards to the state fair and how the governor didn't want Wooten anywhere near her in the fair. And so in this particular conversation, it was, you know, how -- how the governor's not going to like this. I don't know if she actually saw it yet or whatnot, but Chris -- we didn't elaborate on that. I was trying to explain the fact that I wasn't trying to antagonize anybody. This is an event. He is a trooper. I didn't know he was, you know, the guy in the poster. And that to me, this whole thing talked about the hypersensitivity of at least the governor and maybe her staff to Trooper Wooten.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: You were just having a bad day that day, weren't you?
MR. MONEGAN: Well, I wasn't until that moment. I was happy that the governor was planning to be there.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, if you thought that your job was in jeopardy prior to that time -- actually, I gather from your testimony that your concern about your job started way back in January 4th of 2007, when you had your first meeting with Mr. Palin?
MR. MONEGAN: I think that more realistically, it was a couple of days after, when I heard him venting about how he was not happy with our review of what had happened.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: What was your state of mind when you got a call back from Kris Perry, only to find out that of all the troopers on your force, you happened to have selected a photograph of the one person who Mr. and Mrs. Palin were trying to get fired for all these months?
MR. MONEGAN: You know, I -- in fact, I remember turning to John Glass, and I said, what are the odds? Because I didn't know it was Wooten. I asked John, I said, is this Wooten? And he looked at it, and he said, I don't think so, but let me find out. So he ran off to talk to somebody else. Actually, the guys who had taken the photo. And they said, yeah, it is. So we didn't recognize Mike Wooten out of that picture.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Now, did the governor show up, as she had been invited to address the attendees at the police memorial?
MR. MONEGAN: She did not. There was a last-minute substitution, and it was Lieutenant Governor Parnell that showed up.86
UPDATE XIII:
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.
UPDATE XII: From Monegan's testimony:
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And when you kept asking him, why am I being fired, and his response was just different direction, different direction, did you get the feeling -- well, I think you even mentioned, is it about Wooten, right?
MR. MONEGAN: That was my first -- first question.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And did you get the feeling that he was being evasive in responding to your request to understand why you were being fired?
MR. MONEGAN: Well, the fact that he didn't answer me, yeah.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And when you said, is this about Wooten, his response was what?
MR. MONEGAN: A different direction.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: But he never said no?
MR. MONEGAN: Right.
UPDATE XI: Rachel Maddow had Monegan on her show:
UPDATE X: Hey guys, I OCRed the original document and converted it to RTF. There may be the occasional error, but it's overall pretty good! It can be found here: http://www.flip-flop-express.com/...
Update IX: FYI, I'm in the process of converting the document to text. I will post a link when I have it.
UPDATE VIII: Digg the NYT story!
UPDATE VII: There's an NYT Story.
A legislative committee investigating Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the Republican vice presidential candidate, issued a report Friday night that found she unlawfully abused her authority by firing the state’s public safety commissioner.
While the report concluded that a family grudge was not the only reason for dismissing the commissioner, Walter Monegan, it said it was probably a contributing factor.
"Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: To get Trooper Michael Wooten fired," said the report, which was issued in Anchorage.
UPDATE VI: A section of the report. I should be posting these periodically as I come across interesting bits: From Page 11, an example of Palin trying to interfere:
MS. GRIMES: On that day that I made that phone call, I was traveling somewhere on State business. I was in the Alaska Airlines Boardroom when I returned a phone call to Sarah Palin. The call lasted about ten to 15 minutes, I would estimate, and a very cordial conversation. Sarah Palin wanted to know what the status of the -- she was concerned about the status of the complaints that had been filed. Her questions were how can a trooper that behaves this way still be working and was concerned that we were taking it seriously and that we cared. I mean, she wanted to know that we -- although those may not have been her specific words, she wanted to know that we cared about this as much as they did. In response to that, I told her that I absolutely take this stuff very seriously. I told her that the investigation had been ongoing and that, specifically, if the allegations that had been forwarded to us, if they were sustained by the investigation, that I did not tolerate that kind of behavior in a trooper, that it was as offensive to me as it was to her. But, I also explained that I could not get into a lot of detail about it because of the confidentiality of personnel information...
UPDATE V: If anyone has OCR software to scan the pdf and turn it into text, let me know in the comments. I'm trying to dig up an OCR disc to convert the pdf into text so it's easier to copy and paste sections.
UPDATE IV: I'm reading through the report now and it definitely looks as if there's strong evidence that Todd Palin had a very strong hand in trying to get the trooper fired.
Here's a good nugget:
MR BRANCHFLOWER: So your career you thought might be in jeopard unless you took some decisive action that might result in Trooper Wooten's dismissal from the force; is that your testimony?
MR. MONEGAN: Yes.
UPDATE III: AP Breaking news: Palin abused her powers!
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Legislative panel finds Palin abused her power in firing of public safety commissioner.
UPDATE II: LINK TO PDF REPORT
UPDATE I: According to MLDB, this is found in the report:
I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.11(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.11(a)
Awaiting confirmation....
ARCHIVE
I apologize for this (at the moment) rather brief diary, but I definitely plan on posting excerpts and conclusions from the report that gets released today. I'm hoping that a digital version finds its way online soon, so I can link to it.
For the moment, I'll give you a little background, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Meantime, a group calling itself "Alaskans for Truth" wrote a letter to Palin on Thursday saying the Supreme Court decision proves that "there is no evidence this investigation has been anything but 'fair and just.' " The group organized an anti-Palin rally late last month, called for the attorney general to lose his job over his handling of the investigation, and encouraged people to urge members of the Legislative Council to make Branchflower's report public...
Monegan said he's come to believe Palin fired him because he wouldn't get rid of Mike Wooten, a state trooper who went through a bitter divorce with Palin's sister.
Kim Peterson, who was Monegan's special assistant, told The New York Times in a story to appear in today's editions that she also believed there was pressure
"To all of us, it was a campaign to get rid of him as a trooper and, at the very least, to smear the guy and give him a desk job somewhere," Peterson said.
And here are some photos from the session today, also courtesy of the ADN.
Meanwhile, the GOP and Republican supporters were protesting the meeting, calling it a "kangaroo court," and dressed up as clowns. Mature.