Ethics complaint against Palin dismissed

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: May 8, 2009 - 5:15 pm

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From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

An attorney hired by the state personnel board has dismissed an ethics complaint claiming that Gov. Sarah Palin’s role in the political action committee SarahPAC poses a conflict with her official duties as governor.

“I find that the complaint does not allege facts which constitute a violation of the Ethics Act. Therefore an investigation is not warranted. Pursuant to my authority…the complaint is hereby dismissed,” independent counsel Thomas Daniel concluded today.

The complaint was brought by Anchorage resident Sondra Tompkins.

The complaint says the governor abdicated her governor duties at a critical time -- the end of the legislative session, when she went to Indiana for two events, a Right to Life banquet and a breakfast for families with Down syndrome children.

"The recent partisan trip to Indiana by the Governor was purely to benefit personal interests, had no benefit for the State of Alaska and was in direct conflict with her official duties," the complaint said.

Daniel, an Anchorage attorney, said that’s a political issue, not an ethical one.

“The governor’s decision to leave the state at the end of the legislative session, may have been unwise. But the voters should express their opinion on that subject at the ballot box – not in an ethics complaint,” he wrote.

Daniel also wrote that “the fact that the Governor traveled to Indiana to attend a dinner (and a breakfast meeting the next morning) did not take significant time, if any, away from the Governor’s duties…the Governor has staff members who interface with the Legislature, and the Governor herself can communicate with members of the Legislature by phone or email, even when she is in another state.”

SarahPAC paid for the travel to Indiana, a spokeswoman for the group has said.

The ethics complaint said Palin essentially has a "contract" with SarahPAC to work for its interests on national issues, even when those interests don't match Alaska's.

Daniel disagreed.

"The real purpose of a leadership PAC is to allow nationally prominent political leaders to solicit funds to pay for the expenses associated with traveling and speaking on national issues. It is not al all clear that this will be incompatible with Governor Palin's normal duties as Governor, which include expressing her opinion on a broad range of issues of concern to Alaskans and the nation," he wrote.

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