Troopergate report: Palin abused power

This just in: rule of law lives in Alaska. The legislative council - eight Republicans and four Democrats -- voted unanimously to release the special counsel's report, which found that Palin violated the state's executive branch ethics act. That act says that "each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of trust."

The Palins will surely claim that they know Wooten to be a danger to the public, so their interest was not "personal." But that's what the rule of law is all about. Complaints against Wooten were handled with due process -- years ago. The Palins would not accept the verdict.

UPDATE: The nearly 300-page report does not recommend sanctions or a criminal investigation. It also finds:

...although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads.

* * *

Harbor Adjustment Service of Anchorage, and its owner Ms. Murleen Wilkes, handled Trooper Michael Wooten's workers' compensation claim property and in the normal course of business like any other claim processed by Harbor Adjustment Service and Ms. Wilkes. Further, Trooper Wooten received all the workers' compensation benefits to which he was entitled.

The full report can be downloaded on the Anchorage Daily News website here.