Alaska's Legislative Council has been meeting behind closed doors since 9 a.m. Alaska time (1 p.m. EST) to review a 263-page report on Governor Sarah Palin's "Troopergate" abuses.

Outside the chamber where they are meeting, Republicans organized by veterans of the Bush-v-Gore Florida fight -- which saw official recounts disrupted by outside operatives -- have been protesting through the day.

Members of the 14-member council, on which Republicans hold a majority, have been briefed by veteran prosecutor Steve Branchflower regarding his inquiry into allegations that the Republican nominee for vice president fired the state's top law enforcement officer because he would not carry out her personal agenda.

Palin wanted Alaska's public service commissioner to fire her former brother-in-law, a state patrol officer, but the commissioner, Walt Monegan, says he refused to do so because there was not just cause. Shortly after that refusal, the commissioner was out of a job.

The firing of Monegan, a highly-regarded former Anchorage police chief, led to a statewide outcry. Republicans in the legislature authorized the inquiry into the governor's decision, which she accepted -- until John McCain selected Palin as his running mate.

Since then, McCain campaign aides and operatives from the Bush-Cheney political team organized by former White House political czar Karl Rove have flooded into the state to try and shut the investigation down.

When members of the Legislative Council arrived for today's session in Anchorage, they were greeted by Republican campaigners who hooted at the legislators and called the inquiry a "kangaroo court." One of the national operatives who has been organizing challenges to the inquiry in Alaska, Taylor Griffin, is a veteran Bush-Cheney campaign aide who was on the ground for the recount in Florida, where GOP operatives created havoc outside -- and sometimes inside -- official chambers.

While working in Alaska, Griffin has reported directly to Steve Schmidt, a veteran Bush-Cheney aide who has taken over operation of the McCain campaign.

Democratic and Republican legislators persevered. But there was no telling the extent to which the intense outside pressure might influence the Legislative Council's response to the report on Palin's wrongdoing.

Comments (27)

1. WOW - these rightwing fanatics look crazier and more dangerously violence prone every day!!!

   the more real america and freedom loving americans see them for what they are (crazy, dangerous, quasi-fascist nuts who have driven our once great nation into the mud of their hateful, fantasy laden ideology), the more we decent real americans turn away in disgust...

   the more we real freedom and america loving americans turn away from their wicked fascist lies the more vicious the rightwing p-zombies become...

   watch out, america! those rightwing crazies are murderously violent and heavily armed. remember the leftwing nuts of the 60's and early seventies like the SLA? NOTHING COMPARED TO THE THREAT THAT THESE VIOLENCE DREAMING, SECCESIONIST, ANARCHO-FASCIST MONSTERS OF THE RIGHT!

   keep that gun, average american. some of these treasonous traitorous rightwing fascists are YOUR VERY NEIGHBORS...

   across america a million violence prone, heavily armed, rightwing anarcho-fascist TICKING TIME BOMBS AWAIT THE MOMENT TO UNLEASH SUICIDAL MASS MURDER IN THE NAME OF THEIR INSANE, DELUSIONAL IDEOLOGY!!!

   now THATS some scary stuff, folks...

   Posted by dexter666 at 10/10/2008 @ 7:25pm

2. "But of course she's completely innocent...that's why we're hoping to squelch this thing!"

   LOL

   Posted by Maskdelta at 10/10/2008 @ 8:00pm

3. Hey .. just go to any major newsfeed (well, except Faux nrews maybe) and you'll see something like this:

   Troopergate Report: Palin Abused Power Unanimous but Contentious Vote to Release the Report to the Public By JUSTIN ROOD Oct. 10, 2008 (ABC News)

   Posted by leftofcenter at 10/10/2008 @ 8:46pm

4. Alaska panel finds Palin abused power Campaign officials tried to pre-empt lawmakers with report clearing Palin

   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.

   Posted by Lillian at 10/10/2008 @ 8:47pm

5. I read that the vote to release the report was unanimous.

   Posted by Lillian at 10/10/2008 @ 8:52pm

6. Palin abused her power and lied about it.Republicans thought that she would give them the election,but it appears that she will cost them the election.Guess it wasn't a good idea to pick someone who was under investigation.

   Posted by i'm nobody at 10/10/2008 @ 8:53pm

7. Even Fox News is reporting it.

   Panel: Palin Abused Her Power in Firing of Commissioner The findings were released after lawmakers spent more than six hours discussing a politically charged ethics report into the firing by Palin

   http://tinyurl.com/42mvzo

   Posted by Lillian at 10/10/2008 @ 8:53pm

8. I'm sure the McCain campaign vetted her quite thoroughly before they selected her.

   Posted by Lillian at 10/10/2008 @ 8:54pm

9. McCain-Agnew!

   Posted by nathanhale at 10/10/2008 @ 9:04pm

10. Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

    Posted by leftofcenter at 10/10/2008 @ 9:08pm

11. She's guilty!!!!!!!

    Their gonna LOSE!

    Oh...they were already gonna lose...

    Well.....

    Use it next time.

    Posted by bleedingheart at 10/10/2008 @ 9:14pm

12. Posted by bleedingheart at 10/10/2008 @ 9:14pm

    bleeding, do you really think that there's anybody left on this blog who DOESN'T know you're a GOP poser?

    Posted by Maskdelta at 10/10/2008 @ 9:41pm

13. Now all we need is our first right-wing poster (other than bleeding) to show up and claim...

    "it's a partisan prosecution" and attack Branchflower....

    and then ask them what they thought of Ken Starr?

    LOL

    Posted by Maskdelta at 10/10/2008 @ 9:42pm

14. Go the the Anchorage Daily News site and watch the McCain campaign spokeswoman spinning away if you want to know how they plan to defend their little right winger.

    It sounds lame to me, but I am sure the faithful will eat it up.

    Posted by Pogge at 10/10/2008 @ 9:59pm

15. In retrospect, one regret I have is not flying down to Florida in November 2000 to kick the see are a pea out of that Brooks Brothers mob. Instead we've had 8 years of rough justice from their end. Thank Shiva, from the polls it looks like people are finally - finally! - waking up to the Bushies' nonsense.

    Posted by RocketJ at 10/10/2008 @ 10:15pm

16. In retrospect, one regret I have is not flying down to Florida in November 2000 to kick the see are a pea out of that Brooks Brothers mob. Instead we've had 8 years of rough justice from their end. Thank Shiva, from the polls it looks like people are finally - finally! - waking up to the Bushies' nonsense.

    Posted by RocketJ at 10/10/2008 @ 10:16pm

17. Senator McCain knew that Gov. Palin was under investigation when he chose her. The Republican operatives and lawyers swooped in to Alaska to strong arm those investigating. Why was this strategy more appealing to McCain's campaign than just inviting a more legitimate person to share the ticket? Such bad judgement!!

    Posted by gram505 at 10/10/2008 @ 10:24pm

18. Remember it's the "Alaska Executive Branch ETHICS Act".....and Caribou Barbie violated it.

    Now the Right can show up and tell us why "such a little thing is unimportant"....

    and why they wanted Clinton impeached!

    LOL

    Posted by Maskdelta at 10/10/2008 @ 11:20pm

19. Palin... oh nevermind

    Posted by winyahn at 10/11/2008 @ 12:03am

20. I really wish that people and the media would stop labeling minor political scandals with "X"-gate. To do so implies that it is on the level of Watergate, and worthy of impeachement. It minimizes Nixon's crimes. Since then, few crimes committed by those in power actually rise to the level of impeachement. (Iran-Contra, Bush II creating false intelligence, and lying to Congress and the People to start a war) Those are incidents worthy of impeachement. Firing your security director, while crooked, is not on level with Watergate. It cheapens what Nixon did to this country. That is why, I suspect, that the Republicans were so quick to attach the name to anything they believed was a crime committed by Clinton. It made it seem like Nixon wasn't so bad after all. For shame.

    Posted by quinndiesel at 10/11/2008 @ 12:23am

21. Bottom line;

    SHE ABUSED THE POWER OF HER OFFICE AS GOVERNOR!

    This was not a secret in Alaska and the simple reason McCain's camp had embedded Carl Rove's thugs to intimidate and impede the investigation.

    Now McCain says he won't comment on Obama's pastor?

    Why? Because he now knows that every American who has not witnessed the tongue speaking, laying on hands, cult like church that Palin belongs to would be totally disgusted if not scared to hell.

    McCain's judgment and more secretive, abuse of power republican's that we've had to endure for the past 8 years from Bush and Cheney!

    Enough!

    I truly believe that people like Palin and her supporters feel that they are indeed on a mission from God.

    Elect McCain/Palin and draw a line in the sand between and expand the misunderstanding between law biding Muslims around the world and "radical Christians" in America.

    It is time to minimize the damage of this self-rightious, closed minded, right wing demagoguery once and for all.

    Posted by Hoot at 10/11/2008 @ 01:24am

22. Where's Darin the Troll to tell us Palin is innocent and actually a Democrat was behind it all?

    Posted by onthehelm at 10/11/2008 @ 5:55pm

23. Sitting here this evening and mulling this over in my mind after dinner I reread this several times. I don't like going here but I feel I have to say something. These segregationist remarks start blood boiling! A lot of these folks screaming bomb, kill, terrorist, etc have a way of whipping up the fringe elements. I am 70 years old and a disabled vet, I know what I'm hearing here, As a student of history I can very well connect the dots to a certain German Leader in the 20th century who could whip up the folks.. This campaign has just gone too far in my opinion!! I am hoping with all my heart the folks especially in South Florida pay attention to the words of congressman Lewis, This whole thing borders on mass hate, I will say it now, I am wondering when the Republican Party will adopt the "Cross of Topsy Turvey" for their symbol!! I am mad as hell at the Republican Party and I am ASHAMED of saying I was in the same navy as Sen. John Mc Cain. A 20 year sailor

    Posted by jetphixer at 10/11/2008 @ 9:35pm

24. Thank you for your service Jetphixer.

    I think the pressure and desperation of the losing High Chair Tyrants will increase - like a vise with the days and hours before producing the sickest fomenting. Yep, count on it, the whisper campaign, the surrogates, Mitt/Bush friends at Bain / Clear Channel and their nazi's Rush, Hannity, Savage, OReilly... will increasingly serve up the red meat. Count on it.

    Posted by winyahn at 10/11/2008 @ 10:28pm

25. Posted by jetphixer at 10/11/2008 @ 9:35pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    thanks for your service...

    you know...my old man fought in ww2 and never ran around expecting everyone to kiss his posterior for what he felt was his duty...which i found more admirable by far than this mccain guy repeating his war experiences ad nauseum, pandering for votes...

    again, thanks for your service sir, and bless you. you are on the side of decency - the only real american value that matters, ultimately...

    Posted by dexter666 at 10/11/2008 @ 10:42pm

26. Posted by Maskdelta at 10/10/2008 @ 9:42pm

    Remember, in that case, the standard right-wing response (repeat after me - 5 words - with feeling): But...but...but...but...Clinton!!!

    By the way, is anyone here surprised that the brownshirts would show up again, especially taking orders from that glorified skinhead Schmidt?

    Posted by jmusolino at 10/11/2008 @ 11:48pm

27. Will this scandalous report affect the McCain / Palin campaign at all? Abuse of power is not something Republicans have much of a problem with; as long as it's a Republican with the power.

    I have heard Republicans defend Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan for the Iran / Contra crimes, and Dubya.

    Posted by koroviev at 10/12/2008 @ 01:12am