Alaska Attorney General Resigns: Palin

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg, a major figure in the abuse-of-power investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin, has resigned, the governor's office said Tuesday.

Colberg, who was appointed to the post in 2006 after Palin was elected, represented seven of nine state employees who initially refused to testify before a legislative panel investigating Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner in what became known as Troopergate. Colberg said he advised the seven of their options, and he unsuccessfully challenged the subpoenas in court.

"I determined that it was in the best interest of the State of Alaska to move on and pursue other opportunities," Colberg said in a statement issued Tuesday by Palin's office.

Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, said the resignation was a personal decision for Colberg, and Palin neither fired nor pressured him to quit.

Palin wondered whether the current political climate factored in Colberg's decision.

"In not wanting to speculate on his personal decision, I would hope this harsh political climate we are in right now won't deter others who want to help this great state," Palin told The Associated Press.

While lawmakers continue to blame John McCain and Palin's campaign operatives for lingering hard feelings in Alaska, Palin blamed the climate on lawmakers positioning themselves for the upcoming campaign season.

"Those are the issues that created the harsh political environment that Talis was thrust into," Palin said.

The Troopergate investigation looked into whether Palin, assisted by aides and her husband, who was also subpoenaed, pressured public safety commissioner Walt Monegan to fire a state trooper involved in a contentious divorce with Palin's sister and then fired Monegan when he wouldn't dismiss the trooper. Palin said Monegan was ousted over budget disagreements.

The House Judiciary Committee criticized Colberg over his role in the employees' initial decision not to honor the subpoenas.

Rick Svobodny, head of the state's criminal division, was named acting attorney general.

Colberg did not immediately return a phone message left Tuesday at his home.

Comments

[Raleigh Dave]

12:05 PM on 02/21/2009

Why does Sarah make every sound like its rosy yet it always smells like manure?

[Emerald1943]

11:50 PM on 02/17/2009

...Palin did not fire him or pressure him to resign....yeah, right! I gotta' bridge to sell ya'!!!

[indy girl]

12:25 AM on 02/15/2009

In a related story, immediately following the Alaskan Attorney General's resignation, Governor Palin's corsage reared up and ate her head off.

[Emerald1943]

11:47 PM on 02/17/2009

This one actually made me roll in the floor laughing!!! Thanks!!! I've had a long day and I needed that!

[hortonhearsawho2]

10:00 AM on 02/12/2009

You are the " harsh political climate " in Alaska , that same cra.p you wanted to bring to America...

[CelticDiva]

08:32 AM on 02/12/2009

Talis Colberg is no longer Alaska's AG because of "community organizers":

http://divasblueoasis.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=446

[peacegurl48]

09:17 PM on 02/11/2009

Palin has proven again and again that she has little class from her hate-mongering and race baiting on the campign trail, to her ill-informed interviews to being interview with turkeys being slaughtered behind her.

[UbiVeritas]

08:23 PM on 02/11/2009

Excessive attention is a symptom of deep envy. You wish you hadn't aborted your child. You wish your husband still loved you. You wish you were in charge of something important. You wish you had the deep contentment this woman obviously has, for putting up with all of your baseless attacks. She has a million times more class than you could ever wish to have.

[instagladiator]

09:13 PM on 02/11/2009

Do tell, whatever are you sputtering on about?

[KayDGee]

09:50 PM on 02/11/2009

Hardly - It falls into the same category as rubbernecking at an accident. Also offers the opportunity to ask one, who attaches some deep meaning to Palin's presence on the public stage, why one would bring up the abortion of a child in this context. Some deep veritas surfacing in a Freudian sort of way?

[Reg Guard]

09:12 AM on 02/11/2009

Sarah Palin's Housegate:

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/housegate.html

and more:

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/housegate-questions.html

[Hillrick]

08:39 AM on 02/11/2009

"It's time to move on"...What?!? So it's like "My work her is done but I have more to do." How noble and inspiring! Spin, baby, spin!

[FR]

02:42 AM on 02/11/2009

She-who-shall-not-be-named has done this time and time again: use someone to get you somewhere or to do your dirty work, throw them under the bus as soon as there are questions.

[deosil]

02:55 AM on 02/11/2009

WHO did Palin BLAME this time............
you need a PLAY BOOK, honestly.

[keepemhonest]

09:05 AM on 02/11/2009

Deosil, I think FR is reminding us that Colberg DID Palin's dirty work. Actually, Colberg should get disbarred for: witness tampering and filing to quash a subpoena - for Palin - when Palin's lawyer, Van Flein, had already admitted publicly that Colberg had a "conflict of interest" because Colberg had - too - pressured Monegan and that why Colberg is "off the case."

** 9/1/08: GOP McCain/Palin campaign hired Thomas Van Flein to represent her in putting illegal pressure on Monegan.
----- Van Flein said "Colberg's CALL TO Monegan is the reason why Colberg himself could not represent Palin"
----- Van Flein said Colberg had a "conflict of interest."

***9/16/08: 6 GOP politicians file suit in AK to dismiss Troopergate.

*** 9/26/08: Colberg - who Palin's lawyer said had a "conflict of interest" and COULD NOT represent Palin - unethically filed to quash subpoenas of Sarah, Todd & Palin Administration.
---- Colberg should be disbarred for that and could be disbarred for that.

**10/08: Superior Judge Michalski ruled the subpoenas were "legally issued and enforceable."

**10/08: Superior Court Judge Michalski threw out the lawsuit attempting to halt the Legislature's investigation of Palin's illegally pressure Monegan to retire.

**10/08: AK Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the 6 Republican politicians to shut down the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin.

** 2/09: Todd Palin found in "contempt" for ignoring subpoena.

** 2/09: 10 Palin appointees found in "contempt" for ignoring subpoenas.

Sounds to me that Colberg's afraid of getting disbarred.

[Principaldad]

12:05 PM on 02/11/2009

Palin blamed the imaginary people who are out to get her.

"Those are the issues that created the harsh political environment that Talis was thrust into," Palin said.

Palin let the AG go because she is too chicken to address the issue head on (and she knows that she is in the wrong anyway).

You need to READ, honestly.

[ebanks84]

11:19 PM on 02/10/2009

Palin is cleaning up loose ends that's all. She is burying all claims of responsibility for Troopergate and hoping that it will all be forgotten before she rears her e^vil head again.

[keepemhonest]

09:07 AM on 02/11/2009

Oh silly Sarah ... there is no way Romney, Guiliani, Crist, or any other potential opponent will let this remain "forgotten."

[tm68]

10:54 PM on 02/10/2009

The ADN article says, "Palin attributed the harsh political climate mostly to "folks lining up to run for governor." I think she'll have LOTS of competition- clearly, we Alaskans are starting to wake up! YAY!

The woman needs to GO HOME in 2010.

[PoohPooh]

10:25 PM on 02/10/2009

Palin "saves" Herself again???

1) Attorney General Colberg will be forced to resign, allowing the Alaska Legislature to blame him for Gov. Sarah Palin's probable role in the witness tampering that occurred during the Branchflower Investigation.

2) Alaska Senate President Gary Stevens and Alaska Speaker of the House Mike Chenault will assure that further efforts to investigate either of the Palins' roles in:

a) the termination of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan,

b) the stymying of the Branchflower Investigation, or,

c) the Petumenos Investigation - particularly with the Palins' depositions - are thwarted or ended.

In exchange, Stevens and Chenault will not receive vetoes to projects - yet to be named - in their districts.

Typical Alaska GOP politics. I wonder if Palin had Randy Reudrich help broker the deal. Here we have Mike Chennault, the sole remaining Alaska legislator who was a very big player in the VECO handouts, together with Stevens and Palin, both of whom received thousands from Bill Allen's company, working together to hide the truth.

We can only hope the FBI is onto this deal, and somehow has it taped or documented.

[mdlw]

12:06 AM on 02/11/2009

Yep...story also on The Mudflats and Progressive Alaska blogs.

[DinkyP]

10:21 PM on 02/10/2009

Usually Sarah's news is posted at the top of the page. This is another called Colberggate. The gates are justding up for Sarah. This should be top page front page news for the american citizens.

[offred]

10:52 PM on 02/10/2009

Here's some more Palin news. Apparently, residents of an Alaskan town called Emmonak are running dangerously low on heating fuel and food. Palin hasn't gotten around yet to seeing if it should be declared an emergency. The residents are Native Alaskans in an isolated part of the state; not likely to be campaign donors, I guess.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/09/rural.alaska.villages/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[rhondadavis28]

09:01 PM on 02/10/2009

It's Palin's fault for appointing a friend/crony who was completely unqualified for the job, and during the Troopergate situation Colberg made a fool out of himself.

[Hillrick]

08:42 AM on 02/11/2009

But this is what her role models did and it worked for them! Same as screeching that your opponent was anti-murican, she saw that's how you win elections. *wink*