Alaska Politics Blog : Complaint says Palin legal fund is unethical (Updated)

Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics, state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has never been more interesting -- Sarah Palin, a new governor, a new Anchorage mayor, the political corruption investigation, the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. We encourage lively debate, but please keep it civil and stay on point. Don't use profanity, make crude comments or attack other posters. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will lose their ability to post comments.

Contributors

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

Features

SECTION

Sarah Palin

Follow the former Alaska governor's actions as she embarks on life outside of office.

SECTION

Alaska political corruption

The FBI raided state legislature offices in Aug. 2006, and the fallout since has been epic in Alaska's political world.

Complaint says Palin legal fund is unethical (Updated)

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: April 27, 2009 - 5:08 pm

Comments (0) |

From the Associated Press --

An ethics complaint has been filed against Gov. Sarah Palin, claiming the legal defense fund she established last week to challenge such claims is an ethics violation itself.

Kim Chatman of Eagle River filed the complaint Monday with the Alaska attorney general's office, seeking an investigation by the Alaska Personnel Board.

Chatman claims Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, is misusing her official position for political gain and receiving improper gifts.

Palin has said she's accumulated more than $500,000 in legal fees defending herself against a dozen or so ethics complaints and for representation in Troopergate, the Alaska Legislature's probe into the firing of her former public safety commissioner.

UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: A spokeswoman for Palin, Sharon Leighow, issued the following statement in response to the complaint:

"As we've been saying, the number of ethics complaints filed against the governor and her staff -- as well as the tortured logic they contain -- continue to constitute the most disturbing trend in Alaska politics. It's obvious the intent with this unprecedented action against the governor is to see her administration paralyzed and for her to declare personal bankruptcy."

Read the full complaint here.

Excerpt:

"Governor Palin has at least 500,000 supporters between her Facebook, TeamSarah, and other groups in support of Sarah Palin. If each of them were to contribute an average of $100 it would equate to $50 million. If they contribute an average of $50 it equates to $25 million. If half of them send $10 it equals $2.5 million. That’s personal wealth created for Governor Palin by putting a for sale sign on our Alaska Governor’s Office. That kind of money injected into the complaint process does not provide the opportunity for Governor Palin, Todd Palin and aides to take responsibility for their misconducts."

login or register to post comments

2 December 21, 2009 - 11:46pm | replica_rolex

replica watches