Todd Palin is going to try to take the fall in "Troopergate."

[Botany]

Todd Palin has now admitted that he took part in some
government functions in Alaska when his wife was not
there and that Sarah knew nothing about what he was doing.
He has reportedly admitted to trying to get his ex-brother in
law fired from being a state trooper in Alaska.

Todd Palin had unusual access to wife's staff

By MATT APUZZO – 3 hours ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin remained in the dark while her husband repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force, Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press.

Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is the focus of a legislative investigation into whether she abused her authority by firing the state's public safety commissioner to settle a long-standing family dispute. The commissioner says he was fired after resisting pressure to fire Mike Wooten, a trooper involved in a bitter divorce with Palin's sister.

The investigation has been a distraction for John McCain's presidential campaign. Lawmakers were scheduled to meet Friday and release a report on the case, which could shed light on how Palin governs and what role her husband played in her administration.

snip

"I have heard criticism that I am too involved in my wife's administration," Todd Palin wrote in his affidavit. "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."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOTk11gvqDAgD0cY3i4WjI_2YOxwD93MRQL00

[tekisui]

1. If that is what they try, it is still on S.S.arah

Husbands have no authority.

[Botany]

5. 2 things

* he did these things without her knowing about them?

* he broke the law .... as you noted he had no legal right to
work on or in private government business

[ShortnFiery]

2. Todd and Sarah have a family that is equivalent to an dysfunctional train-wreck.

Any Democratic candidate who had half the issues of The Palins would have long been laughed off of the political state. Why are they still here? :shrug:

[regnaD kciN]

3. Oh, SURE...

...and Tonya Harding knew nothing of her boyfriend's attempt to kneecap Nancy Kerrigan. :eyes:

Sorry, guys, but this doesn't pass the smell test. And it certainly won't make matters easier for McCain.

[Schulzz]

4. I think this is why the McCain campaign has "news" this morning.

They need a distaction from Friday's results.

[vanderBeth]

6. I don't see how this could help her.

He's just making it worse. :shrug:

[billyoc]

7. Look, Todd, we don't care how close you two are, you can't be cellmates.

[pnwmom]

8. Hate to break up the party but if Todd Palin's attorney thought any of this

amounted to anything illegal, he wouldn't have let him testify to it.

[Botany]

9. Tawd! gave written testimony

I don't know if it was done under oath.

[pnwmom]

11. Yes, written testimony that was prepared by his attorney. n/t

[Botany]

12. If his written testimony was prepared by his attorny is this damning ....

... God help him if he ever has to testify under oath.

[Thorandmjolnir]

13. It is under oath

Its called interrogatories. Written questions that are to be answered under oath. Carries just as much weight as live testimony. The problem for Todd is that it is presumed that you take more time to answer a written question, meaning much more scrutiny. For instance, if he says he played a very active role in this and that Sarah Palin did not know about this, then why did she not say this in the first place instead of giving the impression that she was fully involved and that it was solely a question of her disagreeing on budgetary issues?

[Botany]

15. Because

They wanted some sort of a plausible cover story but testimony and
evidence might put an end to that. In 2005 a family court judge ordered
Palin and her family to stop bothering the ex brother in law .....

What gets me is that so much of this was public knowledge
prior to McCain's pick of Palin so he must of done no vetting
of her what so ever.

[riderinthestorm]

24. Political poison though irregardless of the legalities. Todd Palin's involvement in his wife's

governance is pretty repugnant to anyone with a brain cell. People understand that this doesn't pass the smell test - that Sarah Palin didn't know anything about what her husband was doing with her brother in law? No way.

That his participation in her governance (at least this very public part that we have documentation on) is that he's a despicable thug is even less attractive.

What's interesting to me is that the heavy duty legal team that has now been hired to try to sweep this mess under the carpet for the McCain/Palin ticket believes that this is the route they have to take in order to get it to go away right now, to delay any real action until after the election. It's awfully revealing that the attorneys think this is the best course - they have to know how political toxic Todd's "testimony" is. In my opinion, this means that there really IS legal wrongdoing here, and they are desperately trying this tactic first in order to forestall real legal fall-out until after the election.

[Bread and Circus]

10. That's what the Republicans always do....stall, stall, stall...then get a patsy to take the fall

[WinkyDink]

14. Here's the deal: The Palins tried to run Alaska like their own fiefdom. Small-town corruption writ

large.

They figured nobody would really notice.

[Bippity Boo]

16. The First Dude

Is going to be someone's First Prison Bitch.

[pnwmom]

17. If his attorney thought he was at risk legally, he wouldn't have let

him give this testimony. He would have taken the 5th instead.

[jazzjunkysue]

18. repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state poli

There's the admission of guilt.

If Sarah hadn't done all that, why would her husband admit he had?

This is done. Gramps is done.

Now, where do I get tickets to the Obama inauguration?

[specialed]

19. This is beyond stupid.

She's either clueless or criminal.

[rucky]

20. He's the Jeff Gilooly to Sarah's Tonya Harding

[symbolman]

21. Okay, here's the REAL Question..

WHO is he replying to? Remember, they created ANOTHER Board of Inquiry that has NOTHING to do with the State Legistative Republican Created Investigation.. the Board he MAY be testifying to is a Bunch of Palin INSTALLED Shills that will LET HIM OFF..

Again WHO is he testifying TO?

Let's be sure it's not an End Run first.

[cags]

22. Don't forget there are others testifying as well, with direct info against Sarah. Not gonna work

[Montauk6]

23. So this IS more of a -Gate than I thought...

All the Governor's Men...?

[snooper2]

25. He's not on the government payroll

so what can they get him for?

[vaberella]

26. That won't wash in Troopergate, right?!

I mean there is enough evidence where people will demand the extent of Palin's actions and even if it was Tom Palin's alone they will do more research than that, right? This looks like a bad version of Law and Order from where I'm from.