Palin Says Troopergate Report Cleared Her Of Unlawful Or Unethical Wrongdoing

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is insisting that she was "cleared" of any unethical or legal wrongdoing by the state legislature's report on whether she abused her power in dismissing state Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

Palin was asked by a reporter over the weekend in Pittsburgh if she abused her power, according to Fox, and she responded, "No. And if you read the report you'll see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member. You got to read the report, sir."

She gave similar statement during a conference call with Anchorage Daily News, KTVA-Channel 11 and KTUU-Channel 2 the same day. "I'm very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of any kind of unethical activity there," she is quoted by CNN as saying.

Palin was accused of using her influence to pressure Monegan to fire Michael Wooten, a state trooper who had been engaged in a bitter custody battle with her sister and who reportedly threatened her father's life in 2005.

The Alaska legislature released a 263-page report after a three-month investigation, dubbed Troopergate, that concluded Palin "abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act." The report said Monegan's refusal to fire Wooten was not the "sole factor" in his dismissal but "likely a contributing" one.

The report also found that Palin "knowingly permitted" her husband, Todd Palin, "to use the Governor's office and the resources of the Governor's office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired." Todd Palin, was one of several people, including gubernatorial aides, who initially challenged a subpoena from the state legislature.

The campaign of Palin and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) issued a statement, according to TPM emphasizing the report's conclusion that Palin had the authority to dismiss the public safety commissioner. The "report shows that the Governor acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan... this was a partisan led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern regarding Trooper Wooten," spokesman Meg Stapelton said.

The McCain-Palin campaign released its own report Thursday night exonerating Palin of allegations. The campaign's report insisted that Monegan was fired due to disagreements with budgetary issues, and that that Palin's 2006 opponent for the gubernatorial post, Andrew Halcro, "originated the notion that Monegan was reassigned due to his refusal to fire Wooten."

Palin pledged to cooperate with the investigation when it was begun in July, but after she was chosen as McCain's running mate, she backtracked on her statement and said the probe had been "tainted." She has said she will cooperate with a separate investigation by the state Personnel Board.