Anchorage Daily News

A new ethics complaint against Gov. Sarah Palin accuses her of using state staff and resources for political purposes on two occasions, once this week and once during the presidential campaign.

State officials said ethics complaints are confidential in early stages and that they could not discuss this one. Several complaints against Palin and her top aides are still pending.

Palin called the allegations baseless:

"If the public knew the resources we spend on answering bogus complaints and over 150 FOIAs, they would be flabbergasted at the absurdity of it all."

The new complaint was filed Wednesday by Andree McLeod, an Anchorage activist who has filed previous complaints and also has requested public records, going to court to seek some.

McLeod contends that a press release posted on the state Web site Aug. 29, the day Palin became the GOP vice presidential candidate, was an improper use of state staff time and resources.

In the statement, Palin assured Alaskans she would be able to do her job as governor during the presidential campaign. Then she went on:

"It is a great privilege to be John McCain's running mate and to be considered by the American people for the Vice Presidency. This honor is a testament to the reforms and progress we have made together in Alaska. Now is the time to take that spirit of reform to Washington."

McLeod also takes issue with comments made by Palin's spokesman this week after news stories said the governor would be headlining one of the biggest Republican events of the year, the June 8 congressional fundraiser dinner in Washington, D.C.

Bill McAllister, the governor's communications director, said Monday the governor didn't know about the request and hadn't confirmed she was attending. The next day, a spokeswoman for her political action committee, Sarah PAC, said the organization had mistakenly confirmed she would attend without clearing it.

McLeod contends the governor used state resources for "purposes that have nothing to do with the state's interests and everything to do with her personal, extremely partisan political Washington, D.C., beltway interests."

McAllister said he was just trying to answer questions about the governor's travel plans because of wild assertions that she travels all the time.

"There's an irony here, too: I was clarifying that the governor might well not do something political," he said in a written statement.

Palin said in her statement: "This is one of many frivolous ethics complaints, FOIAs and lawsuits that this disgruntled person has hit me, my family, and my staff with. She hounded us for a job for many months, didn't get hired and decided to go this route."

McLeod said Palin is wrong and she is standing by her efforts.

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.

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