Palin Investigation Stalled By McCain Campaign, State Legislator Says

ABC News reports:

Is the McCain campaign afraid of an 'October surprise' involving vice-presidential pick Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska?

The Alaska state senator running an investigation of Gov. Palin says the McCain campaign is using stall tactics to prevent him from releasing his final report by Oct. 31, four days before the November election.

"It's likely to be damaging to the Governor," said Senator Hollis French, a Democrat, appointed the project manager for a bi-partisan State Senate Legislative Counsel Committee investigation of claims that Palin abused her office to get the Alaska public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, fired.

An Anchorage Daily News story suggests that Palin's lawyer is helping stall the investigation. He's trying to get the probe into the hands of a governor-appointed board:

The state has hired a private lawyer to represent Gov. Sarah Palin's office in the Legislature's investigation into the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The lawyer already has challenged whether lawmakers even have authority to oversee the inquiry.

...

Van Flein said the investigation should be handled by the state Personnel Board, not the Legislature, because it's "statutorily mandated" to handle ethics cases. The three-member Personnel Board is appointed by the governor.

And he's making it difficult for Special Counsel Steve Branchflower to interview Palin:

Branchflower hasn't been able to set up an interview with Palin. French said the state will fly Branchflower to wherever Palin is on the campaign trail if needed.

"Clearly the governor's new political role will make it more challenging for her to make time for this investigation," French wrote. But Palin needs to be interviewed sometime in September, he said.

Van Flein said the investigation is "bad timing" in the middle of a presidential campaign. He said he couldn't guarantee her availability this month.

If witnesses don't become available, French says, he'll ask for subpoenas.

Comments

[LemonMeringue]

Why is she hiding from the press and cancelling all her appearances?

Did she decide she needed to spend some time bonding with that baby?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadR6qNTjzU

[Chillinout]

The Republicans are trying to get her up to speed before she totally blows it.

This pretty much confirms that even the Republicans know she isn't ready to be VP.

[JenMI]

Palin is taking a CRASH (and BURN) course on foreign policy from former Bush advisors.

[Sergeantsmom]

Oh, yeah, because those former Bush advisors really got W up to speed!! No?

[Shea4O]

I seem to recall, to keep her out of the limelight , that Mac has her out raising $$$ for the campaign.....hey will make sure that she is so hidden - it will be like "Finding Waldo"

[grata2ude]

What would be a surprise about the Republicans obstructing justice?? Will Americans ever see through this crap

[CocteausTwin]

This stuff better come out as scheduled. Hand it over to a governor appointed board? No way.

[CassandraPriam]

So that is why the legal team swarmed all over Alaska.
To threaten, bribe, bully any one in the way of the Repugs.
Just like they did with Bush and his nasty history.
Worked like a charmthen, probably will do the same this time too. :)

[Forsetti]

Obstructing justice? Sounds like she is perfect candidate for the GOP ticket and 4 more years of the same old politics. How dare the McCain camp try and co-op the platform of change.

[iphelgix]

something i'm noting with a bit of discomfort of late is that media like the Enquirer seem to be the only one's breaking the tough stories....

serously disappointing.

So much for welcoming the investigation Gov. Palin.

[alieninvader]

Enquirer????? It was ABC and the Anchorage Daily News. Here's a clip from CBS. This is a H.O.T. story. The MSM is not going to ignore this.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/20101/59441/873/583912

[3Westies]

CNN's Kyra Phillips was on Larry King last night, reporting from Alaska. I think she said she spoke with the lead investigator and he told her his office is getting new information in daily about the case. In fact he said he had received new phone and email records yesterday. I'm sure she'll be on Larry's program again tonight. Should be interesting.

[Grannysue]

And this would surprise us why?

[hotstuff]

There RNC is boreing on T.V! No excitement at all! everyone interviewed has a smile plastered on their face and saying the same old, same old-like a broken record!

[Opt1musPr1me]

Oh man you should have seen this republican lady on MSNBC last night trying to defend Palin. She had the biggest and fakest smile I have ever seen, spitting out the same republican talking points on Palin. Its as if she was saying to herself "OMG what am I doing here trying to defend someone I don't know"

[LemonMeringue]

Never mind, real journalists will ferret this out.

Does it have to be National Inquirer? Or will the Atlantic and the New Yorker come through for us?

Americans deserve to know who they are voting for. If the candidates will not tell the truth, someone else will tell it for them.

Sarah Palin I think you will never see Washington, D.C. You threw your daughter and her boyfriend under the bus for nothing.

[jpknight]

Call me cynical, or simply pessimistic, but I can't share your confidence that this will be picked up so readily. It's an obvious ploy, err.. cover-up, but it is also minutiae that takes explaining. I hope the msm takes the time.

[LemonMeringue]

I guess this CBS clip gave me hope the truth would out itself about Palin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YadR6qNTjzU

[tbrdn]

Can we trust anything the mccain/bush camp says or does? I think not. Sarah Palin is just more of the same OLD crap.
Vote Obama... get the change we need.

[luvienne]

What are the Reublicans-Mccain afraid of? The truth might come out before they can whitewash it with cash. Americans are already hip to this one. To many skeletons falling out of the closet. There will be more.

[serena1313]

Here we go again! These are the exact same tactics Bush has used time and again.

And McCain falsely accuses Obama of putting his election above doing what is best for the country! If people cannot see that it is McCain who is doing what he accuses Obama of we are in big trouble!

The hypocrisy grows by the day.

[CaliTLC]

Forget about McCan't, Senator Hollis French should be Larry King's guest. That would teach McCan't not to cancel.
Obama-Biden 2008-2016

[Blaheleven]

Wait, who is paying for this private counsel? There goes the Pork Barrel Spending argument...

[kimk3]

Oh, that pork barrel spending argument was gone about 3 days ago.

[reliant1]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/an-wasillan-on.html

this has a good bio of her tenure as mayor...

she needs to go back to alaska and get thrown out of politics. she'd be a great lobbyist tho...

[JHancock]

The lap dance lobbyist.

[mountaingal]

Concise review of her political career by Andrew Sullivan.

[mesut]

McCain probably told her he could help make it go away. Why else would he select someone under such a cloud