Ex-lawmakers call for McCain 'Troopergate' apology

[IndianaGreen]

Source: Anchorage Daily News



Former House Speaker Gail Phillips, aEx-lawmakers call for McCain 'Troopergate' apology

By DAN JOLING
The Associated Press

Published: October 31st, 2008 06:55 PM
Last Modified: October 31st, 2008 06:56 PM

Republican presidential nominee John McCain should apologize for his campaign's personal attacks on the Alaskan at the heart of the 'Troopergate' controversy, according two former Alaska legislative leaders.

Republican, and former Senate President Chancy Croft, a Democrat, on Friday said McCain's campaign representatives made attacks that damaged the reputation of Walt Monegan, Gov. Sarah Palin's fired public safety commissioner.

Palin, McCain's vice presidential running mate, dismissed Monegan in July. At the time, she said she wanted the department to move in a different direction.

Monegan weeks later said his dismissal was tied to his refusal to fire Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister. Before Monegan was hired, Wooten had been disciplined for drinking beer in his patrol car, demonstrating a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson and illegally shooting a moose.

An investigator hired by a bipartisan legislative panel concluded that Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired.

Phillips and Croft said that in the run-up to the investigator's report, the McCain campaign disparaged Monegan and tried to kill the investigation.



Read more: http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/574710.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. McMoot won't say nothing.... BULLIES hardly ever apologize....its in their twisted minds that to

do the sorry thing...is to display Weakness....

Bullies don't like to look WEAK....

He will ignor the issue....act deaf.....

[AlabamaBrightBlueDot]

2. Act? LOL....

[1776Forever]

3. Heard about this on Ed Schultz show Alaskans angered that Palin is off-limits

Alaskans angered that Palin is off-limits - A lady was on Ed Schultz and talked about this last week:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-troopergate21-2008sep21,0,2158301.story

Queries are directed through the McCain campaign machine. Her political capital at home is eroding.
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 21, 2008

ANCHORAGE -- Jerry McCutcheon went to Sarah Palin's office here last week to request information about the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, the scandal that for weeks has threatened to overshadow the governor's role as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.

McCutcheon was given a phone number in Virginia to call: the national headquarters of the McCain-Palin campaign.

Why, he wanted to know, did he have to call a campaign office 4,300 miles away to find out what was going on in Alaska government? The longtime civic activist phoned his local state representative, Les Gara, who quickly filed a protest.

These days, many such queries about Monegan -- or anything else involving Palin's record as governor -- get diverted to McCain staffers. A former Justice Department prosecutor from New York flew in recently to advise the governor's lawyer and field reporters' calls about Monegan. Soon after, Palin's willingness to cooperate in the Legislature's probe of the affair ended.

A recent call to John Cramer, the head of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs -- who clashed with Palin during her years as mayor of Wasilla -- was returned by a McCain campaign operative who had just arrived from Washington, D.C. "John who?" she asked.

[cui bono]

4. That's illegal, I believe, to divert official govt calls to the campaign office.

I called Clinton's senatorial office number once regarding a campaign issue and the staffer immediately told me he was not allowed to deal with campaign issues in the senate office and gave me the number to call.

It must be akin to the law against using official govt resources for campaigning. Doesn't it tie into that somehow?

[1776Forever]

5. General Prohibition Against Using Official Resources for Campaign or Political Purposes link.....

http://ethics.house.gov/Subjects/Topics.aspx?Section=134

Specific laws and rules that prohibit the use of official resources for campaign or political purposes are summarized in the remainder of this section. The effect of these laws and rules is generally to preclude campaign or political activity from taking place in congressional offices. However, the Standards Committee has long recognized that there are certain limited activities in a congressional office that, while related to a Member’s campaign, are permissible. Those activities are described in this section.

Members and staff should be aware that the general prohibition against campaign or political use of official resources applies not only to any Member campaign for re-election, but rather to any campaign or political undertaking. Thus the prohibition applies to, for example, campaigns for the Presidency, the U.S. Senate, or a state or local office, and it applies to such campaigns whether the Member is a candidate or is merely seeking to support or assist (or oppose) a candidate in such a campaign.


Example 1. A Member wishes to issue a press release announcing that he is endorsing a candidate for President. The Member may not issue the release out of his House office or use any House resources (including his official press release letterhead) in making the announcement. Likewise, a Member may not refer to or discuss his endorsement in letters sent on official stationery, including letters sent in response to constituent inquiries.

[Nostradammit]

6. Your snippet is missing the name of the Republican -

"Former House Speaker Gail Phillips, Republican, and former Senate President Chancy Croft, a Democrat..."





Hooray for Gail Phillips. She's a maverick.