On Friday, an Alaska investigative committee released a report into Palin’s attempts to remove her ex-brother in law from the Alaska state trooper force. It clearly stated that her efforts were in violation of state law.
Yesterday I wrote about that finding’s amazing absence from the Sunday political shows, and noted that many journalists were failing to point out the report’s clear conclusion that the governor broke state law, or even worse, falsely claimed that the report cleared her of any legal wrongdoing.
Even her home state’s largest paper, The Anchorage Daily News, feel victim, as it chose to treat the question of whether or not the report said Palin broke the law as a partisan he-said-she-said, when, again, the report is very clear that she did.
Today, in a blistering article, the paper’s editorial page chimes in on the right side of the facts:
She claims the report “vindicates” her. She said that the investigation found “no unlawful or unethical activity on my part.”
Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian.
Page 8, Finding Number One of the report says: “I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.”
In plain English, she did something “unlawful.” She broke the state ethics law.
Perhaps Gov. Palin has been too busy to actually read the Troopergate report. Perhaps she is relying on briefings from McCain campaign spinmeisters.
That’s the charitable interpretation.
