Troopergate Investigation Tainted, Impossible for Palin to Get a Fair Hearing

The details of the alleged "Troopergate Scandal" are now well known. While Gov. Sarah Palin says that she fired former Commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan, because of insubordination on budget issues as well as other differences on the direction of the public safety agenda in Alaska, many have contended that Palin let Monegan go because he refused to fire a state trooper who happened to be the ex-husband of Palin's sister. (The Anchorage Daily News has set up a timeline of stories related to Troopergate.)

I've been following this story since July. And while I'm not one to judge this investigation, I have a great deal of respect for both Gov. Palin and Walt Monegan, a person who has been in law enforcement for over three decades and is well respected within the public safety community. This investigation needs to happen and the facts need to be brought out to light because serious allegations against Gov. Palin's staff have been made. But Palin's selection as Sen. McCain's VP nominee has accelerated and catalyzed excessive partisanship that has tainted this serious investigation, and has made it impossible for Gov. Palin's administration to get a fair hearing. I decided to do a little investigating of my own.

Democratic State Senate Judiciary Chair, Hollis French, Has Pre-Judged This Investigation and Predicted Its Outcome:

In late July, the Alaska State Legislature's Legislative Council, a group of lawmakers that handles the legislature's business when it is out of session, approved a $100,000 contract to hire an investigator. The Council, chaired by Sen. Kim Elton of Juneau (D), appointed Sen. Hollis French of Anchorage (D), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to oversee the investigation. [SIDENOTE: If you're asking how two Democrats got high-level chairmanships in a Republican controlled State Senate, here's the answer. 6 of the 11 Republicans decided to join with the 9 Democrats to form a bipartisan coalition. There's a GOP President of the Senate, but the majority leader and the chairmen of many committees are Democrats.]

French, long-known to have ambitions for statewide office, has made several statements that have pre-judged the outcome of this investigation. In an ABC news story a couple weeks ago, French said this as-yet-unwritten and uninvestigated report is "likely to be damaging to the Governor's administration" and that Gov. Palin "has a credibility problem." French even had this to say about the investigation's impact on the election:

"French says the McCain campaign failed to contact any of the Senators involved in the investigation during the vetting process of Gov. Palin. 'If they had done their job, they never would have picked her,' said French. 'Now they may have to deal with an October surprise,' he said, referring to the scheduled release Oct. 31 of the committee's final report."

"The report is a preliminary step prior to any effort to impeach the Governor, said French."

October surprise? Impeachment? Really? Now we know that this investigation has turned into a partisan effort to smear Gov. Palin. It's not surprising because Hollis French has publicly supported and endorsed Barack Obama, as has Kim Elton.

The Special Council Hired to Investigate Palin, Steve Branchflower, Has Relationships That Taint the Investigation:

Steve Branchflower was hired as the special council to investigate Sarah Palin on August 1. In an August 2, 2008 Anchorage Daily News article, Legislative Council chairman, Kim Elton, said that Branchflower asked for the job, along with several others, which makes this hiring a little fishy. Branchflower's wife, Linda, worked for Monegan as a detective and publicly praised him as a "respected supervisor because he listens to his employees and isn't afraid to change course if something isn't working out" in a 2001 Anchorage Daily News article. Monegan is an honorable cop, but this relationship makes the Branchflower hiring even fishier.

Furthermore, Branchflower and Hollis French are former colleagues. According to the same August 2, 2008 story:

"French will supervise Branchflower. French, also a former prosecutor and colleague of Branchflower, has told the council that the investigator will go to work gathering evidence and could come back to lawmakers if 'some people just won't talk.' The House and Senate Judiciary Committees could then issues subpoenas to compel testimony."

All of these close relationships are a little too close for comfort. But there's more ... the Obama campaign gets involved ...

The Obama Campaign Contacted the PSEA Union

CNN reported on September 5 on "Election Center" that the Obama campaign contacted the union (PSEA) representing Trooper Wooten, the same union that blasted Gov. Palin for firing Monegan.

DREW GRIFFIN: Campbell, what we're learning is this was a very bitter, ugly family divorce. Blown into a statewide scandal here. And now blowing up in the media feeding frenzy of Presidential politics. Trooper Mike Wooten says he has been offered $30,000 from a tabloid to tell his story. The Obama campaign has contacted his union."

Why did the Obama campaign contact this union? So, not only have French's statements and Branchflower's relationships tainted this investigation. What's clear is that the Obama campaign has inserted more partisan politics into what's supposed to be a nonpartisan investigation.

Today, five lawmakers as well as a group of citizens filed lawsuits to stop the investigation. I wouldn't go that far. I still believe that this is an investigation worth having, because on face, there might have been some improper behavior within the administration that Palin had no knowledge of. But now, the investigation should resume after the election when partisan politics won't become a problem.