Praising the Personnel Board probe, not the Legislature

posted at 12:40 pm on September 24, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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ABC News has an interesting headline for a story on the Palin “Troopergate” probe, “Critics Praise Lawyer Driving Controversial Palin Probe”. The former governor of Alaska, Democrat Tony Knowles, says that the investigation’s leader will “do a good job,” but which probe does Knowles reference?  As it turns out, it’s the Personnel Board, not the investigation initiated by the Legislature:

The investigator heading a much-criticized probe of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gets high marks from those who know him, even as the panel which hired him is slammed as partisan and unlikely to release its findings quickly.

“He’s very solid. He’ll do a good job,” said former Alaska Democratic governor Tony Knowles, referring to Tim Petumenos, the lawyer hired earlier this month by the state Personnel Board. The panel asked him to investigate whether Palin ran afoul of state ethics rules in what critics allege was a personal vendetta against her sister’s ex-husband, a state trooper.

Knowles was less sanguine about Petumenos’ investigation seeing the light of day anytime soon. “The personnel board would usually take two or three months to take a look at this,” he said. “Nothing about the complaints are made public until there is a final report, and even that may not be made public.”

ABC does a good job in reporting this story, with one minor flaw.  The description of the “much-criticized probe” will confuse some readers into thinking that Petumenos is running the legislative probe.  The Personnel Board probe, which Palin herself initiated, has not come under much criticism at all, mostly because it has stayed out of the news — unlike Hollis French, the Democratic legislator running the other probe, who promised an unpleasant “October Surprise” for John McCain before deposing the first witnesses.

Democrats have tried to fill the gap in criticism between the two investigations, however.  One claimed that the three-person board was “stocked with people she appointed or supported her.”  ABC, though, found that only one was a Republican and all three were appointed by the previous governor, Frank Murkowski — whom Palin defeated in a bitter primary battle that focused on corruption and reform.  That doesn’t sound as though the Personnel Board is a safe haven for Palin, but it does demonstrate a certain level of desperation among Democrats to follow Hollis French’s example in politicizing this probe as well as the legislative investigation.

Knowles’ endorsement actually undercuts that attempt and puts this on a more non-partisan basis.  Palin’s legal team suggested earlier that this board take over the investigation so that she could cooperate with it rather than proceed with French’s partisan witch hunt in the legislature.  Palin has now agreed to do so, and this less politicized effort can do a proper investigation into the firing of Walt Monegan.  Maybe now we can let the Personnel Board do its job without promises of October Surprises and finagling of subpoenas, and have more confidence in the end result.

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