Posted on 07/21/2009 6:47:20 PM PDT by Josh Painter
Associated Press writer Rachel D'Oro, who has a history of writing negative pieces on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is out with another of her trademark smear jobs. The article is going out from the AP to thousands of news outlets around the world. Let's take a look:
The report obtained by The Associated Press says Palin is securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust, set up by supporters.How did AP obtain the report? The copy of the report linked to (PDF) by the Anchorage Daily News has this warning stamped on it in big, bold, letters:
CONFIDENTIAL report regarding Ethics Complaint pursuant to Alaska Statute 39.52.340and:
Notice of this decision will be communicated to the governor and to Ms. Chatman. However, this decision is confidential pursuant to AS 39.52.340, unless confidentiality is waived by the governor.Note that "this decision" is the decision of the "independent" investigator, not the final decision of the personnel board, as Gov. Palin tweeted:
"Re inaccurate story floating re:ethics violation/Legal Defense Fund;matter is still pending;new info was just requested even;no final report"Palin Spokesperson Meghan Stapleton posted on Facebook to reiterate that the report the AP smear job is built upon is not the final report of the personnel board:
"I cannot verify the validity of this claim. There is no final report. The Investigator is still confidentially reviewing this matter. It appears suspect that in the final days of the Governor's term, someone would again violate the law and announce a supposed conclusion before it is reached."Note also that outside of the personnel board and the attorney hired to investigate (more on him later), only Gov. Palin and Kim Chatman, who filed the complaint, received copies of the report. It's a safe bet that Gov. Palin didn't leak her copy of the report to the AP, so that leaves only Chatman as the likely violator of the report's confidentiality. This is the pattern followed by the maggots who have been filing these bogus complaints against the governor. They know their complaints have no substance and will likely be dismissed or ruled against. The important thing is to publicize them using the liberal media.
Continuing with the hit piece:
An investigator for the state Personnel Board says in his July 14 report that there is probable cause to believe Palin used or attempted to use her official position for personal gain because she authorized the creation of the trust as the "official" legal defense fund.The fund was created along the lines of other legal expense funds set up by prominent political figures including Sen. John Kerry, former Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens and former first lady and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Moreover, AFT was set up to be in strict compliance with 39.52.130:
Alaska Statute ("AS") 39.52.130 Improper Gifts provides as follows, "(a) a public official 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."More from the hit piece:The Trust has a specific provision to address this law and states: "The Trust shall not accept any donation that is given, offered, or promised in any way or for any purpose that, in the sole and absolute discretion of the Trustee, would be a violation of any federal, state, or local law" and "The Trust shall not accept any donation that is made upon a condition that it be paid or applied other than for the purpose of the Trust."
"In his report, attorney Thomas Daniel..."So who is Thomas Daniel, and how "independent" an investigator is he?
Daniel is a lawyer employed by the firm of Perkins Coie, LLP. He contributed $1,000 to Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. Daniel has also donated to Alaska's Democrat U.S. Senator Mark Begich.
Perkins Coie, as it turns out, just happens to have Barack Obama as a client. More on Perkins Coie here:
Perkins Coie often partners up with the ACLU and groups like MALDEF on such issues as immigration. Much of the political heavy lifting is done by former Kerry/Edwards 2004 General Counsel Mark Elias and Firmwide Chair, Political Law Practice Robert (Bob) Bauer. Both gentleman’s resumes read more like that of DNC staffers than of lawyers at a firm with the motto "Legal Counsel to Great Companies."And speaking of the leftist ACLU, guess which attorney is a member? That's right. Thomas Daniel.
Some more on Perkins Coie:
Perkins Coie clients have included many Democrats in Congress, as well as the Democratic National Committee and the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and John Kerry.Back to the AP hack job:The Seattle-based firm also represented Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire in her protracted 2004 recount battle with Republican Dino Rossi, a legal smackdown that many political analysts compare to the Minnesota Senate race.
The firm is also noted for its representation of Salim Hamdan, whose case as the alleged driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden led the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the Bush administration’s military commissions unconstitutional.
In his report, attorney Thomas Daniel said his interpretation of the ethics act is consistent with common sense.No, what "is consistent with common sense" is that an ordinary citizen is not likely to face an ethics complaint, since the law applies only to public officials such as Gov. Palin. Therefore, an ordinary citizen is unlikely to need a legal defense fund.An ordinary citizen facing legal charges is not likely to be able to generate donations to a legal defense fund, he wrote. "In contrast, Governor Palin is able to generate donations because of the fact that she is a public official and a public figure. Were it not for the fact that she is governor and a national political figure, it is unlikely that many citizens would donate money to her legal defense fund."
Meanwhile, Gov. Palin's attorney has gotten wind of the rat and just posted this on Facebook:
"All options are open in terms of legal remedies. It is a clear violation of Alaska law that Mr. Daniel explicitly reviewed with Ms. Chatman prior to her illegal actions. We will be contacting the appropriate authorities for review and action."And again:
"The resolution of the Trust Fund is not final. I have been working with the investigator regarding supplemental information. The matter is still pending. Whatever you have seen was released in violation of law. There has been no Board finding of an ethics violation and there is a detailed legal process to follow before there is a final resolution."Just one question for Kim Chatman: "Are your ready for a rumble?" It looks like you've got yourself one.
h/t: FReepers on the case.
- JP
FR is the sniff test for news in America.
Great discivery - Well worth e-mailing to Shawn H. and Rush!!!
Sean Hannity has drank too much of Romney’s kool aid to care about this. Fist gotta get this to Sarah’s lawyer, let them investigate it
Also saw another post that said the hefty “Diva” had disappeared from the Friends list. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
I guess they weren't BFF...just until the Chunky One became a total embarrassment.
They are trying desperately to kill her financially and politically...they know.
She is Reagan in a dress....they seee the polls too, they know that hse could splatter the Communist in Chief in a heartbeat.
Who is RACHEL D’ORO? (AP reporter with an agenda)
newsvine.com ^ | Oct 18, 2008 | Me
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2109239/posts?page=25
Ping to 26.
Something else quite interesting posted on C4P...
If you google Perkins Coie Obama, you will find some intriguing articles. The law firm, with major offices in Chicago, Washington and other locations (including China), was the general counsel for Obama’s Presidential campaign and the legal counsel for Obama for America, the not-for-profit Political Action Committee.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Obama paid Perkins Coie $668,000 between January and March 2009, and $378,000 between October 16 and December 31, 2008.
The firm has been heavily involved in Obama’s citizenship eligibility issues (including the Philip Berg case), even threatening plaintiffs not to take further action or they would come after them.
Perkins Coie also represented the Guantanamo Bay prisoner alleged to be Osama Bin Laden’s personal driver, in which the court recently ruled that the military tribunals established at Guantanamo Bay under Bush/Cheney were illegal.
On the Democratic political front, the law firm was the main counsel for Sen. John Kerry’s campaign for President in 2004 and for Sen. Christopher Dodd’s ill-fated primary campaign in 2008.
With the faulty logic and questionable recommendations applied by attorney Thomas Daniel to this opinion for the Alaska Personnel Board, it really makes one wonder if this is actually the “smoking gun” connecting the Obama/Emanuel/Axelrod machine in Chicago and Washington to faraway Anchorage, Alaska.
In addition to a lack of common sense in his opinion, Daniel’s possible actions of releasing the “confidential” document to Kim Chatman is a violation of the law.
I hope Governor Palin and her attorney take this as far as they can because the thread may unravel to reveal some very interesting, influential connections!
I just check Doh! Ro’s Facebook page, and Biegel is listed among her friends. you have too click on “See All” and scroll down.
- JP
Thanks!
Ehh.. I get sick of all the whining about scumbags filing zillions of frivolous ethics complaints against Palin. Don’t the Republicans have anybody who can do the same thing to Alaskan rats? Sheesh. (yawn)
Linda Kellen Biegel at Facebook
I couldn't find McLeod. Anyone know her Twitter name?
BTW, this morning’s NY Post is running the story as “gospel”.
It’s the same AP hit piece that rachel D’Oro wrote and spread throughout the MSM yesterday. It’s going to be in all the papers today.
as I said on another thread
The odd lot of Democrats in Alaska who are being funded and
directed by the Soros-Obama cabal to smear and trash Gov. Palin think they are big time players.
They are the useful idiots and they will be holding the bag in the end when exposed and in their own legal problems.
Yeah, when I was looking for their Facebook and Twitter pages, I noted how they were really proud of themselves and thought that they had done something earthshaking. Well maybe they did, but not in the way that they think. Idiots.
BTW, I’ve noticed how the story has gone no where today, just like the little boy who cried wolf.
While you're waiting, check out this wonderful 1-min. video clip of the great Margaret Thatcher from her "free society" speech from 1975. Imagine Gov. Palin loose in he lower 48 talking like this.
Perkins Coie was instrumental in attacking the Hillary machine last April.
http://eqs.nictusa.com/eqsdocs/29044231608.pdf
Love to get the Soros link on this one.
Perkins Coie was instrumental in attacking the Hillary machine ON OBAMA’S BEHALF during the primaries.
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