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Troopergate findings released. She did it.

The independent investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin's crusade against her ex-brother-in-law has found that the governor (and Republican candidate for vice president of the United States) "knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired."

Wooten is the governor's former brother-in-law, having separated from her sister in an acrimonious divorce in 2006.

The Anchorage Daily News reported the findings at 0419 11 October 2008. The findings were released 10 October "by a 12-0 vote of the Legislative Council (of the Alaska Legislature), with eight Republicans and four Democrats voting," according to ADN. The newspaper reported that some Republican members of the committee disagreed with the findings, but never-the-less voted for their release.

The investigation reported four findings, in all:

1. The governor knowingly abused the powers and resources of her office "to advance a personal agenda."
2. Her firing of the state's public saftey commissioner Walt Monegan was "a lawful exercise of her powers," according to ADN, but was clearly motivated at least in part by "Monegan's refusal to fire Wooten."
3. Harbor Adjustment Service, a company handling insurace claims for the state, acted correctly in approving and providing Trooper Wooten's worker's compensation claim. (After Wooten injured his back on the job, the governor's husband sought to have the claim rejected.)
4. And Alsaka's state attorney general's office had "failed to substantially comply" with the investigation's request to see e-mails related to the case.

The Palins have maintained that Wooten is a bad cop whom they regard as a dangerous person and that they have acted only to protect themselves from him.

Steve Branchflower, the lead investigator, concluded that "such claims of fear were not bona fide and were offered to provide cover for the Palins' real motivation: to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related reasons."

In addition to unsuccessfully seeking Wooten's dismissal, one of her aides successfully sought to have removed from a volunteer duty assignment to dress as "Safety Bear" at the 2007 Alaska State Fair. (New York Times, 10 October 2008).