Wednesday, July 15, 2009

It's 21 22 Ethics Complaints, Not 18 ... But Who's Counting? (updated again and again)

Sarah Palin has so many ethics complaints that major news outlets can't keep track anymore! Huffington Post reprinted an AP story by Rachel D'Oro yesterday claming the current number is 18 instead of what appears to be 21 22. In order to keep the record straight, we need a list!

Since no list is worth anything without supporting documentation, you can find links for ethics complaints numbers 1 through 18 at Newsminer and also at Alaska Daily News (ADN).

Find a link for number 19 here,
a link for number 20 here (even though the article misstates number as 19),
a link for number 21 here,
and a link for number 22 here.

Without further ado, here are the 21 22 acknowledged complaints (there may have been more that were just never made public) against Sarah Palin and her administration as of July 15 16 20, 2009.

# Date Filer Description Results
1 7/28/08 Alaska Legislature Abuse of Power re: firing Walt Monegan (aka Troopergate) 10/10/08
Sarah Palin found guilty of abuse of power
for permitting husband and staff to harangue Monegan about the trooper
2 8/06/08 Andree McLeod (AK resident) Undue influence exerted by Palin and staff exerted to get a job for a Palin supporter
Palin staff member advised to take ethics training
3 8/20/08 Brian Kraft (AK resident) Breaking election law by taking public position on ballot initiative concerning Pebble Mine 05/08/09
Complaint rejected by APOC (Alaska Public Offices Commission)
4 9/02/08 Sarah Palin (AK resident) Self-disclosure filing with AK Personnel Board (re: Troopergate) 11/03/08
Personnel Board found no abuse of power for Sarah Palin letting aides and husband hassle Monegan, but also, no investigation of who committed perjury in their contradictory sworn statements, Palin or Monegan
5 9/03/08 PSEA (AK Public Safety Employees Association) Improper disclosure of the trooper's personnel records and amended to include allegation of harassment (bundled with charge #4) 11/03/08
Dismissed together with #4 by AK Personnel Board
6 10/13/08 Walt Monegan (AK resident) Request by filer for a hearing to clear his name (it had been sullied by Palin and staff) 11/03/08
AK Personnel Board said there was no legal basis or jurisdiction for a hearing on this matter
7 10/23/08 CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics) Expensive wardrobe purchased for Sarah Palin with donor money violates FEC regulations 05/19/09
FEC ruled "party money" is not covered in ban
8 10/24/08 unnamed filer Abuse of power for charging AK for children's travel 02/23/09
AK Personnel Board negotiated settlement wherein Sarah Palin paid ~$8,000 to reimburse for costs
9 11/14/08 Zane Henning (AK resident) Alleged abuse of office by doing "post-election damage control" in interviews from Governor's office 03/23/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
10 12/02/08 Anthony Martin (AK resident) Sarah Palin violated ethics by campaigning for Saxby Chambliss of Georgia 03/23/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
11 12/18/08 unnamed filer Alleged misuse of funds by allowing her picture to be used to promote Alaska seafood in national publications while also promoting her national political ambitions 01/12/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
12 01/12/09 Edna Birch Interference in job hiring 02/20/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board because filer failed to use a real name
13 01/26/09 Andree McLeod (AK resident) Palin aide Bill McAllister worked on state time to benefit Palin's extra-AK political interests PENDING
14 01/26/09 Andree McLeod (AK resident) Palin aide Kris Perry worked on state time to benefit Palin's extra-AK political interests 06/05/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
15 03/18/09 Andree McLeod (AK resident) Improper use of state resources for partisan political purposes 05/27/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
16 03/24/09 Linda Kellen Biegel (AK resident) Conflict of interest by advertising for husband's sponsor by wearing Arctic Cat gear during official duties 06/02/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
17 04/22/09 Sondra Tompkins (AK resident) SarahPAC constitutes ethics violation by misusing official position and accepting outside employment 05/08/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board
18 04/27/09 Kim Chatman (AK resident) Alaska Fund Trust (AFT) violates ethics rules by funneling improper gifts to Sarah Palin 06/24/2010
PALIN SETTLES - has to return $386,000 because AFT declared illegal.
19 07/06/09 Zane Henning (AK resident) Illegal continuation of per diem collection when Sarah Palin's home is less than 50 miles from Anchorage office PENDING
20 07/10/09 Ray Ward (AK resident) Illegal compensation collected by Sarah Palin for giving radio and television interviews since '08 campaign ended PENDING 07/15/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board (in part for not being properly notarized)
21 07/14/09 Andree McCleod (AK resident) Failure to transfer power to Lt. Gov during '08 campaign, while collecting salary during "off duty" status PENDING 07/24/09
Dismissed by AK Personnel Board as legally flawed
22 07/20/09 Andree McCleod (AK resident) Failure to disclose gifts within 30 days of receipt PENDING

To summarize the 21 22 complaints we know about:

One found Sarah Palin abused her power.

One found Sarah Palin illegally solicited funds for her personal use while Governor.

Two were dismissed by the Personnel Board with various repercussions.

Eleven Twelve were dismissed by the Personnel Board with no other actions.

One was rejected by APOC.

One was rejected by the FEC.

Five Four Three are still pending resolution.

The AK Personnel Board has consistently refused to affix any finding of fault. As a reminder, this group of three persons is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor.



Go figure, eh?
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