i keep waiting for you to post something even a little bit intelligent and it just never happens .
On Oct 1, 6:28 am, mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > yawn > > On Oct 1, 4:50 am, "mike532 [ Republicans for Obama ]" > > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Palin Implicated By Witness in ‘Troopergate’ Probe > > >http://www.pubrecord.org/component/content/359.html?task=view > > An Alaska woman who owns a company that processes workers’ > > compensation claims in the state has told an independent investigator > > that she was urged by the office of Gov. Sarah Palin to deny a > > benefits claim for Palin’s ex brother-in-law, a state trooper who was > > involved in an ugly divorce and child custody dispute with Palin’s > > sister, despite evidence that the claim appeared to be legitimate, > > according to state officials who were briefed about the conversation. > > > Murlene Wilkes, the proprietor of Harbor Adjustment Service in > > Anchorage, had originally denied that she was pressured by Gov. > > Palin’s office to deny state trooper Mike Wooten’s claim for workers > > compensation benefits. > > > But Wilkes changed her story two weeks ago when she was subpoenaed by > > Steven Branchflower, the former federal prosecutor who was appointed > > in July to probe allegations Gov. Palin, Republican presidential > > candidate John McCain’s running mate, abused her office by abruptly > > ousting Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, state officials > > knowledgeable about her conversation with Branchflower said. > > > Monegan has said he felt pressured by Gov. Palin, her husband, Todd, > > and several of her aides to fire Wooten. Branchflower’s investigation > > centers on whether Palin fired Monegan because he refused to fire > > Wooten. > > > Palin initially welcomed the investigation, which was approved > > unanimously in July by the state’s Legislative Council, which has a > > Republican majority. However, after McCain picked Palin in late August > > to be his vice presidential running mate, national and state > > Republicans began suggesting that the investigation was a partisan > > witch-hunt against Palin. > > > Despite pressure from the McCain-Palin campaign – and the refusal of > > Todd Palin and some Palin aides to honor subpoenas seeking their > > depositions – senior Alaskan legislators said Branchflower still > > intended to finish his report on the controversy by Oct. 10. > > > The workers’ compensation issue is likely to be a major focus of > > Branchflower's report, according to state officials knowledgeable > > about the course of the investigation. > > > Wilkes has a $1.2 million contract with the state to handle workers > > compensation claims. Her contract with the state was up but her firm > > was recently given a new contract--for $1.5 million--despite the fact > > that there were others who provided the state with a lower bid than > > Wilkes’s firm. One of the other applicants who submitted a lower bid > > has appealed the decision. > > > Wilkes told Branchflower she believed it was impressed upon her from > > Palin's office that she would lose the contract if she did not deny > > the claim, state officials knowledgeable about her testimony said. > > > Although Wooten did receive worker's compensation benefits for about > > three months, his claim was suddenly denied and he was forced to hire > > a lawyer and appeal the issue, which dragged on for more than six > > months. The adjuster who denied the benefits was Johanna Grasso, who > > used to be employed by Wilkes's firm. But it is unknown if the denial > > of Wooten's benefits was due to interference from Palin's office. > > > According to John Cyr, the executive director of the Public Safety > > Employees Association, the union that represents Wooten and other > > state troopers, Wooten was approved for workers compensation benefits > > in January 2007. He filed for benefits due to a back injury he > > suffered when he pulled a dead body from a wrecked automobile and > > slipped on icy pavement. > > > The same month Wooten started receiving workers compensation benefits, > > Todd Palin began following Wooten around “snapping pictures of him,” > > Cyr said. > > > “Frank Bailey was getting people to say that [Wooten] was lying on his > > worker’s comp form,” Cyr said. “The governor’s family was following > > Mike around everywhere. They forwarded that information to the > > worker’s comp division.” > > > Cyr said Wooten had been received his benefits checks totaling $11,000 > > without any problems until “somewhere between the end of March and the > > first of April.” > > > “Out of nowhere [Wooten’s] workers comp claim was contravened, which > > basically means he got a letter saying he wasn’t entitled to benefits > > anymore,” Cyr said in an interview. Documents show that a state lawyer > > intervened in the case. Wooten “hired an attorney and filed a > > counterclaim against the state. Eventually, in November 2007 there was > > a settlement. Part of that settlement included an operation on > > [Wooten’s] back in California. This was a serious injury and he was > > flat broke and had to file for bankruptcy because his claims were > > denied. There was absolutely a personal vendetta against this trooper > > by the governor and the governor’s staff.” > > > However, according to documents in Wooten’s case, the trooper had a > > preexisting condition that resulted in his disability claims being > > denied. > > > But Branchflower has obtained evidence that extends beyond Wilkes’s > > statements that shows the denial of Wooten’s benefits was due to > > Palin’s office involvement in the case, according to the officials > > knowledgeable about this aspect of the probe. > > > Branchflower has apparently zeroed in on a routing slip dated Aug. 21— > > about a month after the ethics probe into Palin was launched—from the > > Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows Wooten’s > > workers comp file was pulled and sent to the attention of Mike > > Monagle, a state manager with the workers' compensation division. > > > “Wooten, as requested,” the routing slip says, which was made out to > > the attention of “Mike Monagle.” > > > “A request came in to return all of Wooten’s [worker’s comp] files to > > Juneau [the state capital],” according to a note and routing slip > > faxed to Cyr from the worker’s compensation division. “The person who > > asked to route the files was told the files were being copied for the > > governor.” > > > It's unclear why Palin's office requested Wooten's workers > > compensation files or how it factors into Branchflower's > > investigation. > > > Branchflower confronted Wilkes with evidence—including statements made > > to Branchflower by one of Wilkes's former co-workers—that showed her > > previous statements were contradicted and that Palin’s office did try > > to intervene and contacted her to ensure Wooten did not receive > > benefits for a back injury he said he received while on the job. > > > Wilkes told Branchlower that she received phone calls and personal > > visits from Palin officials, including Palin’s husband, Todd Palin, > > and was told to deny Wooten’s application for worker’s compensation > > claims because he lied about his physical condition, these people > > said. > > > Wilkes said Todd Palin had shown her photographs of Wooten on a > > snowmobile during the time he was allegedly unable to work as evidence > > that he was not entitled to benefits, these people said. It is unknown > > whether Branchflower has determined that any laws were broken as a > > result of Palin’s office alleged interference in her ex brother-in- > > law’s workers compensation case. > > > Immediately after being sworn in as Governor of Alaska, Palin and her > > husband and several senior aides conducted what amounted to a rogue > > investigation into suspicions that Wooten was faking a job-related > > injury as a state trooper, according to state documents, law > > enforcement officials and former aides to Palin. > > > The investigation was conducted using the resources of Gov. Palin’s > > office and had the goal of destroying Mike Wooten’s career with the > > Alaska state troopers, the documents and the interviews reveal. > > > A little-noticed passage in a transcript of a conversation between > > Frank Bailey, Palin’s director of boards and commissions, and Alaska > > State Trooper Lt. Rodney Dial shows that Palin’s office had developed > > information against Wooten that was turned over to the state’s > > worker’s compensation board, purportedly to prove that Wooten was not > > too sick or injured to work. > > > In the Feb. 28, 2008, conversation with Dial, Bailey disclosed that > > Gov. Palin and her husband had uncovered information about the trooper > > that was not publicly available and had collected statements about > > Wooten going “snowmachining” when he was out on workers comp for a > > back injury. > > > “The situation where [Wooten] declared workers comp, but then was > > caught on an eight-mile snowmachining [sic] trip days — days after, > > you know, that — that started coming up there,” Bailey said. “So we > > collected statements that we forwarded on to worker’s comp.” > > > In January 2007, the same month Wooten began collecting workers comp > > benefits and less than 30 days into Palin's term as governor, Todd > > Palin invited new public safety commissioner Monegan to the governor’s > > office, where Todd Palin urged Monegan to reopen the Wooten case. > > After checking on it, Monegan said he informed Todd Palin that he > > couldn’t do anything because the case was closed. > > > In an interview with the Washington Post, Monegan said that a few days > > later, the governor also called him about the Wooten matter and he > > gave her the same answer. Monegan said Gov. Palin brought the issue up > > again in a February 2007 meeting at the state capitol, prompting a > > warning that she should back off. > > > Last update : Tuesday, September 30, 2008- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
