Friday, April 24, 2009

Its official! Sarah Palin is opening a legal defense fund to help fight the multiple ethics charges filed against her.

Supporters of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will announce Friday the creation of a legal-defense fund to help her pay old legal bills, respond to a rash of ethics complaints and perhaps give her a political boost.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate -- and possible 2012 White House aspirant -- has about $500,000 of legal debts, stemming in part from investigations into efforts to fire an Alaska state trooper who was her former brother-in-law. A legislative investigation found that Gov. Palin abused her power in the matter, but a subsequent investigation by the state Personnel Board concluded she could not be held responsible. Additionally, supporters say, about a dozen new ethics complaints have been filed against Ms. Palin in the past four months, as the governor has come under increasing scrutiny from the national media, Democrats and liberal activists.

"The purpose is really to provide a legal and proper way for the governor's supporters to help her respond to these frivolous complaints that have been leveled, keeping her from being able to do her job and...really harassing her," said fund trustee Kristan Cole, a real-estate agent and longtime friend of the governor from her hometown of Wasilla.

Donations will be capped at $150, according to materials describing the fund, and no contributions will be accepted from corporations, state contractors, state or federal lobbyists, lobbying firms or foreign nationals.

Palin backers also said all names of donors, dates and contribution amounts will be made public. Supporters say the governor wanted the fund to be more restrictive and transparent than other legal-defense funds.

Oh well if it is going to be "transparent" than we can all just sit back and relax. I mean our Governor is well known for promising transparency and than delivering........uh what's the opposite of transparency?

The progressive bloggers have been waiting for this fund to come along for quite some time. There was that pathetic attempt by Texas businessman and publicity seeker, Clayton Paslay, earlier this month. But we knew that was not the official legal defense fund.

It looks like this sucker is the real deal.

And who was the one who finally forced the Gov. to break down and start a defense fund? Why it was our own Sondra Tompkins, once a Palin supporter, and now one of the many Republicans who are ashamed of the Governor of their state.

The latest legal challenge to Ms. Palin came Wednesday, when an Anchorage woman filed a complaint with the state attorney general's office saying the governor violated state ethics rules by accepting outside employment through her political-action committee, and improperly benefited personally by speaking at a recent anti-abortion dinner in Indiana. Ms. Palin's chief of staff termed the recent complaints "ridiculous."

Ridiculous is it? Somehow I have to disagree that multiple ethical violations falls into the category of "ridiculous".

16 comments:

  1. Only Sarah Palin would think that asking for money to fight ethics charges might give her a political boost. Has it never occurred to her that people might get tired of her Professional Victim (tm) status?

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  2. "many Republicans who are shamed by the Governor of their state"

    Could you change that to "ashamed"? I don't think GINO is shaming anyone, just pathetically trying.

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  3. Okay problem shild I fixed it.

    Thanks for the input.

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  4. child

    Going to be one of those days.

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  5. I seem to remember Focus On The Family paying legal fees for Troopergate, but she claims this is one that is included, but then again she also claims Troopergate was politically motivated, etc., and that was before she was John InSanes VP pick. I wish he would take care of her, it's his fault she is now the worlds problem and not just AKs.

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  6. Lisabeth5:39 AM

    I cant stand how they keep using the words frivilous and ridiculous to describe complaints against her. It's so demeaning and it's not true. I think it's important for us to get the word out that they are not frivolous or ridiculous and several of the complaintants are Republican! Therefore the ethics complaints are not partisan based. They are valid citizen complaints! Sarah is such a victim!! Can't she ever admit wrongdoing or poor judgment? Our president does and that is one reason he is trusted by the majority.

    Someone who is a good writer should get a story published in some national newspapers. I am trying to think of ways to bring her down that are organized. We need out own team Sarah whose role is to oranize and get the truth out about her actions and behavior everywhere we can!!!

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  7. Opposite of transparency: opacity? Could make a nice slogan. "I promise total opacity in government". Oh, well, it's an intelligent sounding word, her supporters might be impressed! They don't seem to have a clue anyway.

    Sarah Palin's administration is as transparent as a brick wall.

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  8. Anonymous7:52 AM

    The Palins are reported to have $7MM in holdings, it's questionable that they paid for their home, Sarah is shopping a book deal, and she wants us to contribute to her legal fund? Hey honey, its time to pay the piper, yourself.

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  9. She says the complaints have been baseless. Really? Why is she paying back $10,000 in illegal travel expenses? Or paying back taxes on the per diem ethics complaint? And where are all those state-related emails on the illegal private account that Palin was ordered to turn over?

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  10. Anonymous9:12 AM

    I wonder if anything will come of the dubious name of this legal defense fund.

    It's Alaska Fund Trust which is going to be referred to by most people as Alaska Trust Fund (because that's how you normally say those kinds of things).

    Either way it's said, makes it sound like it is for ALASKA not GINO's personal slush fund, which is what it really amounts to.

    That seems rather non-transparent to me....

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  11. crystalwolf aka caligrl9:40 AM

    TheProblemChild posted this on mudflats...I think it came from a PDF on the alaskatrustfund site.
    4. Beneficiary

    The beneficiaries of this Trust shall be SARAH PALIN. In addition, the class of potential beneficiaries shall include any “Covered Individual.” For purposes hereof, a “Covered Individual” shall be any other person determined by the Trustee, in the Trustee’s sole and absolute discretion, to (i) hold a “covered staff’ position within SARAH PALIN’s administration and/or an employee in the office of the Governor of the State of Alaska;
    and (ii) hold a covered relationship with SARAH PALIN, including without limitation, a family member, such as a parent, spouse, child, grandchild, sibling and other close family relationship.”
    It looks bogus to me...I have already reported it to CREW....
    http://www.citizensforethics.org/about/tipline

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  12. InJuneau9:59 AM

    Gryphen--more for a "one of those days"... In this sentence "...known for promising transparency and than delivering..." it should be "then", not "than".

    jo--I think the FotF folks paid for legal bills for the six legislators who filed a lawsuit on behalf of her or the process or something like that, not for her legal bills.

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  13. ONEJRKITTY12:27 PM

    Gryphen:

    Do you think Palin is going to use money donated to the new "legal defense fund" to help Bristol in fighting Levi for custody of Tripp?

    I need to re-read the statement on the legal defense fund for WHO is available to receive funds, but at first glance it sounded like Palin could some of the decision about where (who) got some of the funds.

    I don't put it past Palin to use the funds illegally, but am specificially wondering if this is a "war chest" for Bristol.

    AND THANKS TO LARRY KING FOR MAKIGN THE STATEMENT ON AIR TO LEVI THAT ONLY LEVI & BRISTOL HAD "RIGHTS" OVER TRIPP --AND THAT GRANDPARENTS HAD LITTLE POWER I.E. PALIN HAS NO DIRECT SAY RE: LEVI SEEING HIS SON !

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  14. Ratfish12:55 PM

    Palin, Fundraising Firm Part Ways

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/palin-fundraising-firm-part-wa.html?wprss=thefix

    Campaign Solutions, a Republican consulting firm advising Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee, has parted ways with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.

    The group had been working with the Palin operation to raise money for SarahPAC but decided to step aside after a series of strategic and philosophic differences, according to a source familiar with the decision..........

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  15. ONEJRKITTY - I'm with you.

    I wondered at the timing of this fund, one day after Larry King, the Enquirer and talk of a Levi book deal. Sarah Palin didn't file any action against the Enquirer regarding the extramarital affair article - Since she denied it so vehemently, one might think she would have challenged it. She didn't, but wow, she'd better go after those ethics freaks and challenge those "ridiculous" complaints. Just saying.

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  16. Maeve8:37 PM

    Let us remember that the Monegan ethics complaint that was filed with the personnel board was filed by Sarah Palin herself. The fact that she chose to use outside counsel to represent her, rather than the Attorney General, was her choice. The fact that her outside counsel chose to go with the National Republican Committee's attack dog style of response was her choice. The entire situation could have been wrapped up at little or no cost to the Palin's.

    Every time she chooses a course, which turns out to be the wrong course, it immediately becomes someone else's fault...

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