Millionaire Palin Still Begging Money from the Public - New Ethics Complaint Filed

Jeanne Devon ("AKMuckraker") Proprietor of The Mudflats, Contributing author Going Rouge - An American Nightmare
Posted: December 8, 2009 11:58 PM

Those of you playing at home and counting ethics complaints filed against Sarah Palin on your fingers and toes are about to run out. Yesterday, another ethics complaint was filed against the almost one term ex-governor by her one-time political ally, Republican Andrée McLeod.

This particular complaint addresses Palin's legal defense fund, hubristically named "The Alaska Fund Trust." Back in July, we learned through a separate ethics complaint which spawned an investigation, that the very existence of the Alaska Fund Trust is most likely a violation of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. The report of the independent investigation found its way to the media.

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.
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.

So what did the ex-governor and her long-time friend Kristan Cole, trustee of the AFT do after they received the report? Nothing. The Alaska Fund Trust website is unbelievably still taking donations. They're still holding out the tin cup and accepting those $5 donations from little old Grannies to pay off Palin's six-figure legal debt, while the supposed beneficiary of the money is jetting around the country promoting her best-selling book "Going Rogue" and raking in the millions. But, please... keep those donations coming.
The latest ethics complaint addresses this lack of response on the part of the Trust and the ex-governor, whom the AFT website still refers to as "current governor Sarah Palin." News flash folks! She quit five months ago, in case you weren't paying attention.

"Palin continues to compromise the integrity of our Governor's Office," says McLeod. "She continues to misuse her official position even though she was told it is wrong to do. What we have is the epitome of a culture of corruption. Why do public officials permit Palin to get away with bad behavior? Why does justice not prevail on the side of the people in the follow through of what has already been established as an unscrupulous pot of money? We still don't know how much has been collected during her term and who's been paid from the fund. Why does the administration continue to protect and defend Sarah Palin, even when she's caught, red-handed, selling out the Office of the Governor?"

There always seem to be more questions than answers.

Read the entire document ----> Dec 09 Palin Legal Defense Fund complaint

Palin: 'My heart goes out to Huckabee'

Posted: December 8th, 2009 04:18 PM ET

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

Washington (CNN) – Sarah Palin said in a recent radio appearance that Mike Huckabee made a "horrible decision" nine years ago to commute the prison sentence of the man suspected of killing four police officers in Washington, but she added that her "heart goes out" to the former Arkansas governor.

In an interview last week with conservative radio host Lars Larson, Palin called the murders "tragic" and "unfathomable."

"It was a bad decision obviously, but my heart goes out to Huckabee," the former Alaska governor said. "I love him, and I feel bad for him to be in this position. But I feel even worse for the victim's families in this situation. I do feel bad for Huckabee, but it was a horrible decision he made."

Huckabee has said he regrets the decision to commute the sentence of the suspected shooter, Maurice Clemmons, but said he thinks he made the right assessment at the time. Palin said she had never pardoned or granted clemency to prisoners when she served in Juneau.

"I don't have a whole lot of mercy for the bad guys," she said. "I'm on the good guys' side."

Pressed on her political ambitions, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee would not rule out a third party run at the White House in 2012.

"That depends on how things go in the next couple of years," she said. "It really does depend. There are enough Republicans who are realizing, 'Oh whoops, some of us liberal republicans have screwed up.' And I'm not including myself in that group, but some liberal Republicans have screwed up."

Palin said her decision rests on whether or not the GOP does a better job of appealing to its conservative base.

"If the Republican Party gets back to that base, I think our party is going to be stronger and there's not going to be a need for a third party, but I'll play that by ear in these coming months, coming years," she said.