December 2, 2008 7:35:43 PM CST
(Newser) – Alaska’s Public Safety Employees Association has filed a complaint against Gov. Sarah Palin, charging she disclosed confidential information about state trooper Mike Wooten in attempts to get him fired, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The union says a Palin aide cited confidential information about Wooten—involved in thorny divorce proceedings with the governor’s sister—in a call to a superior officer.
Frank Bailey was trying to get Wooten fired, and mentioned in the February call he might have lied on his application and made a false worker’s compensation claim—information Bailey shouldn’t have had access to. Bailey said he learned the information from Palin’s husband, Todd. Sarah Palin is also under investigation for dismissing a cabinet official who refused to fire Wooten.
Source Anchorage Daily News
Nov 7, 08 9:50 AM CST The Alaska Sarah Palin comes home to isn’t the same as the one she left, reports the LA Times. The governor's approval ratings have plunged—from 80% to a “mere mortal 65%”—but not as steeply as the price of oil, which makes up most of the state's revenues. Palin, now seen as a strident partisan rather than a pragmatist, may also have a harder time striking the necessary compromises, with opponents emboldened by the GOP collapse. More »
Nov 5, 08 11:17 AM CST If Sarah Palin makes a run for the presidency in 4 years—a widely anticipated possibility—she'll need a more visible post than the governorship of Alaska, writes the Washington Post. Palin might well gun to polish her resume in the Senate, especially if a victorious Ted Stevens is forced out of office. Although Palin commands a deep allegiance from the conservative faithful, the former VP nominee will face stiff competition for the 2012 nod. More »
Nov 4, 08 4:19 PM CST Sarah Palin hopes to become a less divisive figure in national politics, assuming she’s not headed to Washington with John McCain, the vice-presidential nominee said after voting today in Alaska, CNN reports. “If there is a role in national politics, it won’t be so much partisan,” Palin said. “It would certainly be a uniter type of role.” More »
Nov 3, 08 7:06 PM CST An Election Day eve report by an independent counsel found Sarah Palin innocent of charges in the so-called "Troopergate" scandal, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Anchorage attorney Timothy Petumenos, hired by Alaska's Personnel Board, said Palin did not violate a state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner and pressuring officials to can her brother-in-law, a state trooper. More »
Oct 24, 08 1:45 PM CDT Sarah Palin has touted herself as a reformer, telling voters she "took on the old politics as usual in Juneau." But an LA Times investigation shows the Alaska governor gave more than 100 state jobs to campaign contributors and their relatives, many of whom lacked qualifications for the positions. One controversial appointee received a note from a Palin aide that read, "Well now your foot's back in the door." More »
Sarah Palin • Alaska • scandals • vice presidential candidate • governor • Troopergate • Mike Wooten
