Palin Deflects Finding That Sacking Was Abuse of Power

Sarah Palin was forced to expend precious time and political capital over the weekend fighting to contain the fallout from the so-called Troopergate affair, following an official investigation in Alaska that reprimanded her for abusing her office as governor in pursuit of a family feud.

Palin attempted to neutralize the findings into her official conduct by labelling the inquiry a "partisan circus".

"I'm thankful that the report has shown that there was no illegal or unethical activity there," she told reporters at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Saturday, adding that the investigation was "a partisan kind of process that had been undertaken by some of the legislators who haven't been real happy with anything that I've done along the way as governor".

The vice-presidential candidate emphasized the fact that the investigation, carried out by a former prosecutor, Stephen Branchflower, had exonerated her from any impropriety in her decision to sack the head of Alaska's public safety commission, Walt Monegan, soon after she came to office. The inquiry concluded that as governor she had every right to choose her top officials.

But she glossed over the findings that she had broken ethics rules, which amounted to an abuse of her office. The report found that she had applied pressure on Monegan to dismiss her former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, a state trooper who had been through an acrimonious divorce with Palin's sister.

Palin's husband, Todd, came under particular scrutiny in the 300-page Troopergate report, which was published on Friday. It noted that he spent half his time in the governor's office, making full use of state facilities and participating in official meetings.

He also made extensive approaches to officials in which he called on them to fire Wooten. Branchflower concluded that these were "impermissible" and put officials in a conflict of interest.

In an official representation to the inquiry, Todd Palin denied any wrongdoing. "I have heard criticism that I am too involved in my wife's administration," he said. "My wife and I are very close. We are each other's best friend. I have helped her in her career the best I can, and she has helped me."

Republican officials likened his role to that of the politically engaged first lady Eleanor Roosevelt during the 1930s and 1940s.

Palin's characterization of the report as a "partisan circus", made during a conference call with reporters, is likely to be strongly disputed by the cross-party committee of the Alaskan legislature, which commissioned the inquiry and unanimously agreed to publish it.

The events put under the microscope by the report occurred before Palin was nominated by John McCain to be his Republican presidential running mate.

But the findings come as a further blow to the standing of the Alaskan governor who has already been damaged by a series of clumsy television interviews, and provides further distraction from McCain's attempts to revitalize his campaign in the face of a Democratic surge.