Politics

Ethics complaint alleges Palin promoted herself on the state's dime

Wasilla resident Zane Henning reports that she's filed an ethics complaint against Gov.Sarah Palin for violations of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Henning accuses Palin of using her official position and office in an attempt to repair her damaged political image on the national scene. "She's talking [in media interviews] about the recent Republican McCain/Palin campaign platform and strategy in a state office that belongs to the people of Alaska," Henning says in a press release."Sarah Palin campaigned on the ethics ticket and she continues to break the rules she claims to have improved."

"I'm charging that the governor has violated state laws by using state time and resources for partisan political purposes and that is wrong," Henning says. "She knows that we know that she knows it's wrong because that's exactly what she accused Randy Ruedrich of doing five years ago."

Media footage and articles of Palin's interviews dating from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10 conducted in the Office of the Governor with Fox News Reporter Greta Van Susteren and other reporters are the basis of the complaint, Henning says.

In response to the complaint, Bill McAllister, a Palin spokesman, said in an email today that, "The consideration of complaints under the executive branch ethics act is a confidential process, by law. The governor will respect that legal requirement for confidentiality, even if others do not."

Here are excerpts from Henning's complaint:

Gov. Palin did use her official position for her current and personal vice-presidential interests and future political interests and conducted partisan political activities upon returning to her office on Friday, November 7,2008 and again on November 10, 2008. First of all, I'd like to remind you of something Gov. Palin said when asked whether her showing up with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens at his office was an endorsement of him for the 2008 U.S. Senate campaign. She responded by saying, "Well it's, I'm on the clock and we're in a federal building. So we won't talk about campaigns or endorsements. All that comes later." (July 2, 2008, ADN)

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Clearly, Sarah Palin is aware of the difference between right and wrong when partisan political campaign discussions are brought up by reporters and has no problem telling them she will not discuss such partisan political matters. http://community.adn.com/adn/node/133453 and http://community.adn.com/adn/node/126372 Soon after the November 4, 2008 election, reports circulated about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's lack of knowledge about the African continent and the countries that form NAFTA that were attributed to former McCain/Palin campaign workers. According to CNN reporter Gary Tuchman, the VP candidate was very upset about anonymous criticism as she talked about her feelings after disembarking the McCain/Palin jet at the Anchorage airport the night of November 5, 2008...

Within a couple of days, videos and articles were plentiful throughout the media and on the internet of Palin interviews improperly conducted with numerous national and local reporters by the governor upon returning to the governor's office on Friday November 7, 2008 and November 10, 2008 for the sole purpose of attempting to clear the damage to her reputation as the republican vice-president nominee. Issues discussed included her future role in national politics and whether she'll run for president or vice-president in 2012; her relations with democrats; her clothing during the campaign and, again, the anonymous criticism from McCain staffers relating to her behavior while in the role of national republican VP candidate, and much more...

The interview conducted by Fox News reporter Greta Van Susteren on November 10, 2008 in the Office of the Governor served the same purpose towards Sarah Palin's attempt at repairing her recent national republican VP nominee image as discussions of her most recent partisan political activities were discussed in more specific detail. The following link includes links to four video files of the interview in the governor's office and a transcript. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449884,00.html

These video reports show Sarah Palin speaking to numerous reporters in her Republican vice-presidential candidate capacity defending and still promoting herself and not as the governor of Alaska representing Alaskans...

This highly unbefitting, abhorrent and illegal public display by the governor that was broadcast nationwide is not the sort of partisan political attacks that the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act allows on state property. Nor is it the way most Alaskans of reasonable mind and manner would allow for their governor to behave on such a grand public international scale while representing the people of Alaska... She improperly conducted partisan political activities on state property to benefit her personal political interests and not the interests of the State of Alaska or its people. I'm requesting that the Alaska Personnel Board investigate Gov. Palin's use of official position and resources for personal political gain and her conducting partisan political activities in the Office of the Governor.

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