Free Republic

Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest Tea Party political action committee, is proud to endorse State Rep. Adam Kwasman in Arizona’s first Congressional District. Tea Party Express Executive Director Taylor Budowich said, “Adam Kwasman has proven himself to be one of the most impressive young conservatives running for office this cycle. At only 31 years old, Adam represents the next generation of conservative leaders; bringing big ideas and bold solutions. His training as an economist makes him uniquely qualified to deal with the failing economic policies currently coming out of Washington, D.C.

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The Knox County Sheriff's Office says 49-year-old JJeffery Willard Wooten of 1912 Millard Beets Road killed a man, stole a car then led police on a high-speed chase in Knoxville on Friday. Wooten has a criminal history in Knox County that includes resisting, simple possession, armed robbery, burglary, flight/escape, weapon offense, and stolen vehicle. He is also wanted for armed robbery and aggravated assault out of Norcross, Georgia for robbing a Waffle House with a pitchfork. He has a fugitive from justice warrant for that with no bond. The Sheriff's Office says Friday's incident began as a...

NORCROSS, Ga. – Police are searching for a man who used a pitchfork to rob a Waffle House restaurant northeast of Atlanta. Norcross police say 50-year-old Jeffery Wooten entered the diner in Norcross, Georgia, Thursday night and forced people toward a back room. He then grabbed the cash register. WSB-TV reports that the suspect dropped the pitchfork while carrying that cash register back to his truck. Two restaurant workers followed the robber outside, grabbed the abandoned pitchfork and used it to smash a window on the robber's truck as he escaped, possibly injuring the suspect.

A well-placed source in the Alaska Department of Public Safety informs me that Mike Wooten, the Alaska State trooper who was disciplined for various violations of the law and placed on desk duty, has now been turned loose back on the street. Wooten, Sarah Palin's ex brother-in-law, who was disciplined for various infractions, including using a Taser on a child, shooting a moose out of season, and driving a police vehicle after consuming alcohol, whose misdeeds ultimately led to the dismissal of the former Commissioner of Public Safety by Governor Palin, has been returned to street duty with the Alaska...

You may remember Trooper Mike Wooten from the whole "Troopergate" fiasco, which was pushed hard by the media and the Democrats in an attempt to smear Governor Palin. Alaska Senator Hollis French promised an "October surprise" to close out the investigation and Alaska Senator Kim Elton was later rewarded by the Obama administration for his role as the hatchet man in charge of the Legislative Council that oversaw the investigation.

Sarah Palin has been cleared of abusing her office in the "Troopergate" case by a state personnel board, which over-turned the findings of an earlier probe by the state legislator. The investigation into the dismissal of the state's public safety commissioner found that the Alaskan governor had not abused the power of her office by firing Walt Monegan. It also cleared her from ethics violations in respect to her dealings regarding Michael Wooten, the state trooper involved in a contentious divorce and custody battle with her sister. The report, released the day before the US presidential elections, concluded there was...

A report detailing whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power by firing her public safety commissioner will be released on the eve of the election. Timothy Petumenos, an independent investigator hired by the Alaska Personnel Board, says he will release the report during a news conference 7:30 p.m. EST Monday....

An unintentionally hilarious assertion was made by Alaska State Senator Hollis French on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC cable show Friday night. Maddow and French were discussing the so-called Troopergate scandal and Gov. Sarah Palin's alleged grudge in firing former Alaska public safety commissioner Walt Monegan for not reopening an investigation of a state trooper who went through a nasty divorce with Palin's sister. Hollis, a Democrat who led the state legislature's investigation into Palin's actions in firing Monegan last July, cited "severe logical fallacies" in claims made by Palin and her husband Todd, including the Palins' request for reduced security despite...

STATEMENT FROM MCCAIN-PALIN SPOKESWOMAN MEG STAPLETON Friday, October 10, 2008 ARLINGTON, VA — McCain-Palin 2008 spokeswoman Meg Stapleton issued the following statement on today’s release of Stephen Branchflower’s report: “Today’s report shows that the Governor acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan. The report also illustrates what we’ve known all along: this was a partisan led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern regarding Trooper Wooten given his violent and rogue behavior. Lacking evidence to support the original Monegan allegation, the Legislative Council seriously overreached, making a...

We've all seen the headlines. According to the MSM Obamedia, Sarah Palin has been found to have abused her power as Governor by reassigning one of her appointees to another job. Mysteriously missing from this claim is the fact that as Governor she has the legal right to do so to any appointee at any time, regardless of what anyone thinks about it. So in fact, Sarah did not abuse her power, she exercised it. And that seems to be what the uproar is all about. There is not a single fact in the 263 page report that clearly demonstrates...

The chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday that Governor Sarah Palin broke no laws when she tried to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire trooper Mike Wooten. However, Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute, and the panel said his firing was lawful.

The ridiculously lengthy "PUBLIC REPORT" for the Legislative Council of Alaska, released October 10, 2008 by Stephen Branchflower, reached the following conclusions: 1. For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.l10(a) provides "The legislature reaffirms 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 that trust." 2. I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A legislative committee investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has found she unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state's public safety commissioner. The investigative report concludes that a family grudge wasn't the sole reason for firing Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan but says it likely was a contributing factor. The Republican vice presidential nominee has been accused of firing a commissioner to settle a family dispute. Palin supporters have called the investigation politically motivated. Monegan says he was dismissed as retribution for resisting pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's...

Conclusion "The framers of Alaska's Constitution vested the office of the governor with very broad discretion to fire the head of any department, for virtually any reason, without preapproval or review by the legislative branch of government. Governor Palin has not submitted to an interview with me, or provided any written explanation of the reasons' she fired Commissioner Monegan. There are indications in the record that there was not universal support for Commissioner Monegan among other department heads. Comments in the press linked the governor suggest there was a feeling within the governor's office that he was not a team...

Sarah Palin's husband Todd repeatedly told Alaska officials to fire his former brother-in-law from the police force but his wife, the state's governor, was unaware of what he was doing, according to affidavits. The sworn statements were released as part of the "Troopergate" investigation into the dismissal of Walter Monegan, Alaska's public safety commissioner, allegedly for refusing to dismiss Mike Wooten, an Alaskan state trooper who had been involved in a messy divorce from Mrs Palin's sister. A report on the case, which could damage the Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who chose Mrs Palin as his vice-presidential running mate,...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin remained in the dark while her husband repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force, Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press. Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is the focus of a legislative investigation into whether she abused her authority by firing the state's public safety commissioner to settle a long-standing family dispute. The commissioner says he was fired after resisting pressure to fire Mike Wooten, a trooper involved in a bitter divorce with Palin's sister....

See all theTrooper'gate saga posts hereI swear, I'm not sure why I'm wasting my time, or yours, with this post. Took about 24 hours off to be with my granddaughter, and re'entered the news world to find the media and Palin hater dogs are off, chasing a new bone of contention on the Trooper'gate/Monegan angle. First, let me say this in no uncertain terms. I don't care if Sarah Palin didn't like which side of his head Monegan parted his hair... she had a right to terminate him for any reason she wished because he served at will. Now, is...

Democrats pushing "Troopergate" are getting closer and closer to defending the records of two abusive men who have threatened family members and on occasion taken violent action towards them. Alaska's former Public Safety Commisioner Walt Monegan and state trooper Mike Wooten both have a distrubing history of abuse. Monegan, of course, is the man who Democrats believe GOP vice presidential contender Sarah Palin improperly fired as Alaskan Governor and who is at the center of their controversial "Troopergate" inquiry. Wooten is Palin's former brother-in-law who Democrats think Palin unethically pressured Monegan to terminate. Via the San Francisco Chronicle Monegan admitted...

(FAIRBANKS) – In response to the political turn taken by the Legislative Council's inquiry into Walt Monegan's removal from office, today Christopher Huffman, a Fairbanks small business owner, filed an Alaska Freedom of Information Act request with Senator Kim Elton, Senator Hollis French, Stephen Branchflower, and Walter Monegan. The request seeks "all documents pertaining to the Alaska State Legislature inquiry" into the Monegan matter, including all documents related to the hiring of Stephen Branchflower and the evaluation of any other candidates for the position; all communications between Mr. Branchflower, Mr. Monegan, Sen. Kim Elton, or Sen. Hollis French and other...

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's attorney general says state employees subpoenaed in the investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin will not testify. In a letter to the Democratic state senator overseeing the investigation, Attorney General Talis Colberg asks that the subpoenas be withdrawn. He also says the employees will not appear before the investigator unless either the full state Senate or the entire Alaska Legislature votes to compel their testimony.