For Christmas Sarah Palin gets a spanking new ethics complaint. HO, HO, HO!

Sarah may no longer be in Alaska but her ethical violations are still stinking the place up. And it has inspired a new ethics complaint to tidy up a little. And this one is a doozy.

Andree McLeod has filed this ethics complaint with the Alaska Attorney General just yesterday.

And you can read it for yourself down below.

Andrée McLeod

Anchorage, Alaska
December 7, 2009
Attorney General Office
1031 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501-1994

Dear Attorney General Sullivan,

Please consider this letter as an ethics complaint charging Sarah Palin with violations of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act (Alaska Statute, Title 39, Chapter 52).
Sec. 39.52.120. Misuse of official position: (a) A public officer may not use, or attempt to use, an official position for personal gain, and may not intentionally secure or grant unwarranted benefits or treatment for any
person.

Sec. 39.52.130. Improper gifts: (a) A public officer may not solicit, accept, or receive, directly or indirectly, a gift, whether in the form of money, service, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, employment, promise, or in any other form, that is a benefit to the officer's personal or financial interests, under circumstances in which it could reasonably be inferred that the gift is intended to influence the performance of official duties, actions, or judgment.

Sec. 39.52.310. Complaints: (h) A violation of this chapter may be investigated within two years after discovery of the alleged violation.

Sec. 39.52.410. Violations; penalties for misconduct: (c) If the personnel board determines that a former public officer has violated this chapter, it shall (1) issue a public statement of its findings, conclusions, and recommendation; and (2) request the attorney general to exercise all legal and equitable remedies available to the state to seek whatever relief is appropriate.

The Alaska Ethics Branch Ethics Act declares that:

(1) high moral and ethical standards among public officers in the executive branch are essential to assure the trust, respect, and confidence of the people of this state;

(2) a code of ethics for the guidance of public officers will:
(A) discourage those officers from acting upon personal or financial interests in the performance of their public responsibilities;
(B) improve standards of public service; and
(C) promote and strengthen the faith and confidence of the people of this state in their public officers;

(3) holding public office or employment is a public trust and that as one safeguard of that trust, the people require public officers to adhere to a code of ethics;

(4) a fair and open government requires that executive branch public officers conduct the public's business in a manner that preserves the integrity of the governmental process and avoids conflicts of interest;

(5) in order for the rules governing conduct to be respected both during and after leaving public service, the code of ethics must be administered fairly without bias or favoritism;

(6) no code of conduct, however comprehensive, can anticipate all situations in which violations may occur nor can it prescribe behaviors that are appropriate to every situation; in addition, laws and regulations regarding ethical responsibilities cannot legislate morality, eradicate corruption, or eliminate bad judgment; and

(7) compliance with a code of ethics is an individual responsibility; thus all who serve the state have a solemn responsibility to avoid improper conduct and prevent improper behavior by colleagues and subordinates.

The Scope of the Alaska Ethics Branch Ethics Act states:

…standards of ethical conduct for members of the executive branch need to distinguish between those minor and inconsequential conflicts that are unavoidable in a free society, and those conflicts of interests that are substantial and material.

Palin continues to compromise the integrity of our Governor’s Office. Even though she quit as governor in mid-term on July 26, 2009, the Alaska Office of the Governor Position and title is still being misused to collect money for her personal legal fund that has accepted monetary contributions as recently as December 5, 2009.

This matter of Palin’s Alaska Fund Trust that greatly concerns the public interest was brought forward in another complaint in April 2009. The independent investigator found probable cause of Palin’s ethics violation in a July 21, 2009 report because he found that Palin secured unwarranted benefits and received improper gifts through the fund and that she used her official position for personal gain in violation of Alaska Statute 39.52.120(a). He discovered that she expressly authorized the creation of the trust, and that the trust website quite openly uses her governor position to solicit donations. This pointed to probable cause that Palin used her
official position for personal gain in violation of Alaska Statute 39.52.120(a). (Document attached)

Yet, a public resolution has still not been forthcoming from personnel board members or other public officials to that prior complaint, nor has justice prevailed on the side of the Alaskan public when it was discovered that their ex-governor was found to have behaved corruptly with regards to this fund. (Ironically, dismissed complaints have been highly publicized as Palin waived away confidentiality.) Meanwhile, the fund still collects money with absolutely no oversight. Contributions and expenditures have never been made public, even while Palin was a public official and had to comply with public financial disclosure laws.

This continual and already established unethical collection of money towards Palin’s legal fund’s behalf makes a mockery of Alaska’s system of governance. In addition, the fund’s name “The Alaska Fund Trust” deceptively infers an official State of Alaska legitimacy to what is widely recognized as an unscrupulous fund.

Below are images taken of The Alaska Fund Trust on December 7, 2009 that shows persistent misuse and abuse of Palin’s official governor’s title and position. Palin misleadingly uses her former official position for personal gain and to secure unwarranted benefits. In short, Palin continues to violate Alaska Statute 39.52.120(a).

Standards of ethical conduct for members of the executive branch need to distinguish between those minor and inconsequential conflicts that are unavoidable in a free society, and those conflicts of interests that are substantial and material. Sarah Palin’s conflicts of interests with regards to this fund are significant and material as her interest in the fund is presumed to be more than $5,000.

Based on the facts set forth above I’m requesting that the Alaska Personnel Board enforce Sec. 39.52.410 (c) (1) and (2) with regards to Palin’s misuse and abuse of her official title and position for personal gain and for the securing of unwarranted benefits through this fund. This Alaska Fund Trust has never served the purposes or interests of Alaska or Alaskans. It persists to corrupt public processes and continues to breach the scope and spirit of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

I’m requesting my complaint be investigated in as fair and unbiased a manner as possible. For the record, I’m prompted to file this complaint for exactly the same reason that every one of my other complaints have been filed with your department: solely for the reason of upholding ethical standards and protecting the integrity of state actions and state resources. To think otherwise is to abridge my rights as an Alaskan and American, among other things.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this.
Sincerely,
Andrée McLeod

(If you want to read all of the complaint, as well as the attachments, then click the link above.)

This seems like a very appropriate complaint to me. Andree has laid out her argument very effectively, and I am interested to know if THIS Attorney General is actually going to do his job and launch the kind of investigation that it clearly requires.