Round 2 Of McCain Troopergate Stall: Part Karl Rove, Part Laurel & Hardy

Since Monday the McCain camp has stepped up its personal attacks against Alaskans. They've continued their D.C.-style tactics against neighbors in this small state. The game plan is to find an excuse to stop our Legislature's Troopergate investigation, and hide evidence McCain's folks really don't want to surface before November's election. It's been a little Karl Rove, and parts Laurel and Hardy. How else can you explain the following?

Friday the Attorney General's office promised state witnesses would comply with subpoenas the Legislature issued last week. Tuesday the Governor's Attorney General flip flopped, and announced that state witnesses wouldn't comply because, well, and I'm paraphrasing here - - he's changed his mind. And in what has to be an idea hatched after a 4th Martini at Chilkoot Charlies, Governor Palin's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the ethics claim she filed against herself two weeks ago. Yup. She really filed a complaint against herself. Tuesday she said she's discovered, after a thorough investigation of herself, that she's done nothing wrong. Does anyone know how to get a hold of Jon Stewart and Tina Fey?

It's silly season up here in the far north, but this week's moves are aimed at one thing: John McCain's effort to find cover for being disingenuous. See, before Governor Palin's nomination for the Republican VP spot, she did the honest thing. She admitted the evidence -- of roughly 20 contacts between her staff and husband with Public Safety officials, seeking the firing of Governor Palin's former brother-in-law -- might lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that the she misused her office to fire a state employee. So when Alaska's Republican-led Legislature called for an investigation, she did the honorable thing and said she and her staff would comply. She denies any wrongdoing.

Things changed on August 29 when Governor Palin was added to the McCain ticket. Since then his handlers have told her she can't testify. They don't want the evidence in this case to come out. They don't want her to testify under oath. They don't want other witnesses to testify under oath. So they have engaged in daily maneuvers to attack, as disloyal to the McCain campaign, anyone who wants the investigation to move forward. They've now attacked two well respected prosecutors, and perhaps the state's most highly regarded law enforcement official -- the Public Safety Commissioner she hired, and then fired, Walt Monegan.

Every day this week McCain operatives have sung the same tune. Today a guy with an East Coast accent, who knows nothing about Alaska, stood in front of a McCain-Palin banner to lead the attacks against people he doesn't know. At press conferences on Monday and Tuesday campaign staffer Megan Stapleton spit vitriol to repeat her argument that this investigation is really a "Democratic" attack on Governor Palin. See, that's easier than just saying their VP has reneged on her promise to testify. It's easier than just saying they don't want anyone testifying before the November election. It's easier than admitting they are stonewalling a legislative investigation. Oh -- and I know they hate partisan stuff. Yesterday 5 Republican legislators -- all allies of Governor Palin, all supporters of the McCain campaign, filed a lawsuit against the Legislature to stop the investigation.

Here are a few things MCCain's operatives failed to say. There are a few small facts that make it hard to style this as a Democratic investigation. One is that Alaska is a Republican State. We have a Republican Governor and a Legislature of 34 Republicans and 26 Democrats. This summer the Legislature's Legislative Council voted 12-0 (8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) to hire an investigator, and appointed Democratic Senator Hollis French, a well-respected former prosecutor, to find an investigator.

Governor Palin stated she and her employees would comply with the investigation. French then hired Steve Branchflower, a former DA who most recently was hired by legislative Republicans to run the state's Office of Victims rights. And on Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 (2 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor); and the House Judiciary Committee issued a 7 - 0 (5 Republicans, 2 Democrats) advisory vote, to issue subpoenas to witnesses the McCain camp had previously stopped from testifying.

Over the last two days McCain's outside operatives have vilified former prosecutor Hollis French -- as an Obama supporter who must have called this investigation to hurt the McCain ticket. But French was appointed to oversee the investigation by a 12 - 0 Legislative Council vote, and is probably the state's most respected legislator -- by Republicans and Democrats alike. He's so popular the Republican Party couldn't find anyone to run against him this year. They've called former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan -- a Native Alaskan who has served Republican and Democratic Administrations with honor, and put his life on the line in uniform- - "insubordinate." Odd, given that when Governor Palin fired him she offered him a different job. I guess being "insubordinate" was a job requirement for the new position. And they've challenged the independence of an investigator and former DA, who has no animus anyone can find.

Those Swift boat ads taught the McCain folks that if you say something untrue enough times, it can stick. My favorite moment of the week came when Governor Palin's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Palin's ethics complaint against herself. Stay with me. Her attorneys have been buying the peyote, not me. See, on August 29 they needed to find a way to stop the Legislature's investigation. They tried asking the Republican leaders to call it off, and take one for the team. But the Senate President and others honorably said no. So they came up with an argument that the State Personnel Board -- 3 people appointed by Governor Palin and her Republican predecessor Frank Murkowski - had "exclusive jurisdiction" to investigate wrongdoing by the Governor.

The Legislature wasn't amused. So Governor Palin then filed a complaint against herself. That, they said, put "jurisdiction" in the hands of their friends at the Personnel Board. They argued that since the Personnel Board was now proceeding with an "investigation," the Legislature couldn't. To put icing on the cake, on Monday the Governor's attorneys moved to dismiss the Governor's case against herself. They said, and I loosely paraphrase again -- that they tried really hard and just couldn't find any evidence that the Governor did anything wrong. OK. I can't believe I just wrote that. And I wish it weren't true.

These are the things you have to do when your presidential candidate doesn't want his VP to honor a promise, and doesn't want evidence to come out before an election. These are the things you have to do if your folks aren't going to comply with a subpoena. That's because without spin the headline might read: "McCain Interferes With Investigation Palin Agreed To." How easy it is to re-write a headline. They learned that during the Swift boat campaign too.

All we can hope for is that members of the press will abide by what's taught in journalism school. Not to repeat the spin of political operatives without reporting the truth. Not to write "he said she said" stories, and pretend the truth is somewhere in the middle. But to report the facts. No matter how you spin it, Governor Palin promised to comply with this Legislative Investigation. McCain's folks got her to change her position. And the Legislature that voted for the investigation did so on a bi-partisan basis. End of story. End of headline.

Over the next few days McCain's folks will try to get local legislators to step in line, out of party loyalty, and reverse their vote to investigate Troopergate. But many local Republicans, like Senate President Lyda Green, have so far refused to play those politics. Stay for more from McCain's Campaign for "Change." They've tried to change the truth. They've succeeded at changing Governor Palin's promise to comply with this investigation. Let's see what they'll change next.

Rep. Les Gara, Anchorage, Alaska

Comments

[Cogs]

When is John McCain going to hold a press conference?

[livewire19]

Much ado about nothing.

Political appointees serve at the governor's discretion. Many people in private industry have been fired for lesser acts of insubordination. Spin it any way you want to spin it, this isn't going anywhere.

If this is the worst nugget that all the political operatives found after a couple of weeks of sifting through moose dung, Palin has little to worry about.

[RedKnuckles]

Problem is that there is an awful big pile of moose dung, with more being added all the time. You know, you sound an awful lot like the Bush administration, who parroted the same line about the attorney firings, and serving at the whim of the prez. Oh, and explain to us, as Les pointed out, the particular act of insubordination that got Monegan fired, and why, before he was canned, he was offered a so-called "lateral move" (for 10k a year less!) to another department?

[Heru1]

when did the Straight Talk Express turn into the Coverup Wagon?

[lisakaz2]

I can't help but wonder how Alaskans feel about the denial defense trying to shut down any accountability. What is it again that Palin will bring to DC? Sure looks like she is becoming DC than vice versa. I don't get how this isn't evidence of Booo$h's third term since this all reminds us of Booo$hie's refusal to be held responsible for anything.

[ENOUGH1]

Poor Sarah! She has sold her soul to the Straight Talk Express Campagin.

[jdfast]

Folks, this is just typical of the Repugnant party. Remember the election in 2000 that W took to court? Lie enough, file enough papers, make everything look political and the MSM will fall all over themselves not to report the real truth. What a bunch of dumbasses we have for journalists. Its getting harder and harder to find an honest person in journalism both print and video. Its really a shame when Bill Mahr and John Stewart have more news on their commedy shows than CNN, MSNBC and Fox togehter. Plus we have idiots out there that don't bother to educate themselves on the issues and the only thing that they think matters is vote the party line. Thats why we are in deep trouble. Its a shame when lies mean more than substance, but I guess thats what you get when you go after the trailer park vote.

[kevin5]

If troopergate isn't enough, look into the Mat-su Dairy. I lived in Alaska for six years, this woman is a reformer....to whatever they want her to be at what ever time. I hope there is some way to get the truth out BEFORE the election. Nothing in the news about her economics on the dairy, very little on other doings that she has twisted to her favor- against the bridge to nowhere? I think she will make Cheney lok like an angel.

[Chapmanp2]

I was totally up to date & then her attorneys file a motion to dismiss the ethics complaint that she filed against herself??? If this were a novel nobody would buy it cause it's completely un believable.
How do we get the MSM to cover this & lay the whole story out there for everyone to see???
Come on Obama speak up...

[rossir]

Rage,

That's it.

Rage

[UC4006]

Do you have an agenda? could it possibly be the letter "D" and "O". If there had been anything done wrong ,why did it take until Palin being picked for VP. for you to care.

[Danny]

I'm not from Alaska but the Palin woman has done Alaska wrong with this episode.

[pillgirl]

could it be because no one ever heard of it before palin was nominated to the ticket? i dont think a lot of people knew who she was then, let alone that she was being investigated for misconduct.

[unite4change]

FYI, this investigation was going on before McCain selected her as his VP. At which time she agreed to cooperate. Your anger should be directed at McCain for not vetting her properly.

Now to answer your question, she was in Alaska and not running for VP of the United States.

[yoshi]

I guess The Straight Talk Express has detoured around the truth here in Alaska. Thanks Rep Gara, for your column.

[SidChimaera]

Good to see you on Huffpo, Les. I'm from Harry Crawford's district.

Keep on fighting!

[SteveMDFP]

I think a lot of Americans aren't aware that these investigative wheels were already in motion when McCain selected Palin.

McCain's campaign is screwed if the investigation goes forward (because many of the undisputed facts are just damning).

The campaign is also screwed if they derail the investigation (arguably, that would constitute "obstruction of justice").

Which means that "maverick" John McCain was really just impulsive and reckless in his choice of VP. There's really no way to dispute the conclusion. Who in their right mind selects a running mate who has been made the focus of an ethics probe just a week earlier? McCain is dangerous to everyone's interests.

[WFV]

An excellent post. What is anyone actually doing about it, though?

This type of maneuvering has brought us to the sad state of affairs we face today. If the highest ranks of our government allow this to continue, who will police an issue like this? What is our recourse?

She's going to get away with this.

[BIG JOHN]

IT'S SO FUNNY TO SEE SO MANY REP. RUN FROM THE REP. PARTY. CHRIS MATTHEW RIPPED SOMEONE TONIGHT FOR NOT SAYING HE WAS A REP. BUT I DON'T BLAME THEM I WOULD RUN FASTER THAN BOLT FROM THAT MESS OF A PARTY.

[gevan]

That was Virginia's Eric Cantor, part of the GOP's House leadership.

[RedKnuckles]

Saw that too...what an incurable weasel he was...

[spaektor]

thank you for writing this.

[AndrewInToronto]

Seconded, here.

[SE33]

This is a great article, looking forward to the follow up to this news story. The Questions need to be asked and the press needs to print this story!! WE DO deserve answers before the election!