Pam Bondi wins in Florida GOP primary for AG (Updated)

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Pam Bondi, who was endorsed by Gov. Palin, leads her two opponents in the Republican primary for Attorney General in Florida. With over 1.2 million votes cast so far, Bondi has nearly 38 percent of the vote. Her nearest opponent, Jeff Kottkamp, has about 33 percent, and Holly Benson has 29 percent.

Update: The Associated Press has declared Bondi the winner of the race.

- JP

AG: Campbell does not need legislative approval

The Associated Press is reporting that Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan says Military and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Craig Campbell, named by Gov. Sarah Palin as the state's next lieutenant governor, should serve as acting lieutenant governor when Palin resigns July 26:

Sullivan's legal opinion, issued Friday, differs from Tamara Cook, the Legislature's top lawyer, who said Wednesday that Campbell can't become lieutenant governor without legislative approval.

According to Sullivan, Campbell would serve in a temporary basis pending his approval by the legislature, which could come in a special session.

Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt, who was at the front of the line of succession for the position, said he doesn’t want the job.

- JP

Somebody cue Queen: Another One Bites The Dust

Via The Anchorage Daily News' ubiquitous Sean Cockerham:

"The state has dismissed an ethics complaint filed by Andree McLeod against Kris Perry, a close adviser to Gov. Sarah Palin and the director of the governor's Anchorage office."

"McLeod charged that Perry did political work on the state's time. Her complaint focused on Perry's travels with the governor on the vice-presidential campaign trail and afterwards."

"The complaint was dismissed by the attorney general's office. (McLeod said it went to the AG's office rather than the personnel board because it was a complaint against a state employee rather than the governor or lieutenant governor.)"

"The dismissal said there was no evidence 'suggesting that Perry misused her state time in any substantial way or did not intend to benefit the public interest when accompanying the governor on her trips.'"

According to the dismissal, Perry was included on the trips to liaison with the governor's office in Alaska, thus keeping Palin in contact with state business:

The record clearly shows that Ms. Perry gave far more of her personal time to the state of Alaska than she may have used state time, if any, for non-state related or unavoidable personal activities," said the dismissal.

A full PDF copy of the letter of dismissal is here.

In the reaction from the governor's office, Palin aides emphasize the fact that the complaint was filed even after Perry obtained an opinion from her ethics supervisor, Linda Perez:

"It is outrageous to file an ethics complaint against a state employee who sought and obtained ethics guidance in advance," Mike Nizich, the governor’s chief of staff, said. "This is not about ethics. This is not about holding the governor or state employees accountable. This is pure harassment."

Such harassment is costing Alaska's taxpayers large sums of money. Gov. Palin's office says that over the past two years, the state has spent millions of dollars processing ethics complaints, public records requests, and related lawsuits

The governor's full news release is here.

- JP

AK legislators predict that Sullivan will be confirmed

Key members of the Alaska legislature are saying that Attorney General Dan Sullivan, recently appointed by Gov. Sarah Palin, will be confirmed:

"My sense is that he will be confirmed," said Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sullivan will be confirmed "with accolades," said House Judiciary Committee Chair Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, to the Anchorage Daily News.

[...]

Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, vice chair of Judiciary, called Sullivan "incredibly accomplished and professional."

Senate Minority Leader Gene Therriault, R-Anchorage, also a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Sullivan's pre-Alaska bar experience shouldn't be discounted.

- JP

Palin hits a home run with choice of Sullivan as AG

Gov. Sarah Palin announced that her second nominee to replace Talis Colberg as Alaska's attorney general is Daniel S. Sullivan, a former Anchorage attorney who served in the Bush White House and the State Department. Her first choice to succeed Colberg, Wayne Anthony Ross, failed to win the approval of the state's lawmakers. Though he must be confirmed by the legislature, Sullivan will serve as attorney general until that body reconvenes in January.

The new AG's legal resume is impressive:

Sullivan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics. He earned a Juris Doctor/Master of Science dual degree in Foreign Service, with emphasis on law, international economics, and national security studies from Georgetown, and he has been a member of the Alaska Bar Association since 2000.

He clerked for U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Andrew Kleinfeld of Fairbanks from 1997 to 1998 and for then-Chief Justice Warren Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court until 1999. Sullivan joined the Anchorage office of Perkins Coie in 2000, where he practiced business and corporate law.

Sullivan, 44, is originally from the Cleveland area and had lived in Alaska for five years when he left the state in 2002 after receiving a White House fellowship. He said at the time that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack inspired him to apply.

His service for the Bush administration includes holding the position of Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. Sullivan was sworn in as Assistant Secretary on June 6, 2006.

He came to the State Department from the National Security Council/National Economic Council Staff at the White House where he served as a Director and Acting Senior Director in the International Economics Directorate. A Marine Corps infantry and reconnaissance officer, Sullivan was recalled from the reserves to active duty from January 2005 until April 2006 and served as a Strategic Advisor and Special Assistant to the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), spending considerable time deployed in the CENTCOM theater of operations.

According to ADN:

He maintained property in Anchorage and voted absentee in Alaska elections as recently as 2008. Sullivan is a registered Republican, according to voter records. Sullivan's wife, Julie, is the daughter of former state representative Hugh Fate of Fairbanks and Mary Jane Fate, who is a former co-chairwoman of the Alaska Federation of Natives and was also on the University of Alaska board of Regents. Dan and Julie Sullivan, who have been married for nearly 15 years have three daughters.

Early reaction to Sullivan's nomination has been positive. Both Republican Rep. Jay Ramras and Democrat Sen. Hollis French had favorable things to say about the nominee. Alaska Supreme Court chief justice Dana Fabe also seems to be impressed by Gov. Palin's designated attorney general:

"I think he's just a terrific attorney and has all the qualities needed to be an excellent attorney general," she said.

One of the reasons the governor selected Sullivan, according to her office, is his experience as assistant secretary of state, where he dealt with international energy, including issues involving the proposed AGIA natural gas pipeline.

We believe Governor Palin has hit a home run with her nomination of Dan Sullivan for the office of attorney general. After the dust up over her previous nominee, she has proven once again that she learns quickly from prior experience, unlike many in politics who seem to be in the habit of repeating their mistakes.

- JP

McAllister moves to AG's office

Bill McAllister, Gov. Palin's communications director, is leaving that position to go to work as a special assistant to Alaska's attorney general:

McAllister said media relations will be a part of his new job. He said it’s a position that was eliminated early in the Palin administration "and the decision has been made that there’s a compelling need for it."

"There have been a number of high-profile issues involving the Department of Law… but there has been no one whose primary function was to communicate with the media and the public." McAllister said.

The former reporter for KTUU reflected on his time working for the governor:

"It has been a privilege to work for a leader who has accomplished so much and inspired so many. The demand for Governor Palin continues unabated. Even today, I have been in touch with a handful of major national news organizations hoping for some time with the governor, not to mention the numerous regional and international journalists who write or call every day. While the governor grants very, very few of these requests, focusing instead on Alaska media, the fact that these inquiries keep on coming anyway demonstrates that there is a great interest in knowing more about Alaska and her governorship, and of course, about her personally. It has been a phenomenon, and a fascinating series of events to witness up close – even if I have at times been disappointed with the members of my former profession."

So far, there’s been no word on who will take McAllister's place in the governor's office, nor has Gov. Palin yet commented on the personnel change. We will have updates as they become available.

h/t: C4P

- JP

Gov. Palin looking for a new applicant for AG

In an e-mail to the Fairbanks News-Miner, a spokesperson for Sarah Palin says the governor is "in the review process" to designate a new nominee for the office of Alaska attorney general.

Sharon Leighow says Gov. Palin wants to appoint someone with integrity, vast legal knowledge and experience who must be a strong advocate for Alaska.

Alaska lawmakers last week voted down Wayne Anthony Ross, the governor's previous nominee for the office, after a smear campaign against him by Palin's political enemies swayed the legislator's opinions. Just last year, the Alaska House honored Ross with a unanimous citation which described the lawyer as "a distinguished Alaskan" and "a vocal proponent of free speech." The citation also characterized Ross' career as being "dedicated to defending individual rights."

Leighow says though there has been a considerable interest in the position by applicants, the governor is working under no deadline to fill the position now that the legislative session has adjourned.

In a related story, Gov. Palin's administration has released an opinion by the state's acting attorney general stating that the governor's original appointment of Tim Grussendorf to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Kim Elton of Juneau is still a valid one because the Senate Democrats never legally rejected it.

The decision comes after Gov. Palin and the Democrats agreed to a Sunday compromise which assigned the seat to former Juneau mayor Dennis Egan.

- JP

Gov. Palin: 'Public lies were told about Mr. Ross'

From today's edition of the Juneau Empire:

Gov. Sarah Palin is blaming bloggers and lies for the defeat of her attorney general nominee, who the Alaska Legislature refused to confirm last week.

At her first news conference after the Legislature voted 35-23 to reject Wayne Anthony Ross as attorney general, Palin said the defeat was due to "deliberate misrepresentation" of Ross' statements.

"A great problem was public lies were told about Mr. Ross," she said.

Palin declined to say whose lies undermined Ross, citing the blogosphere and e-mails from members of the public.

Although the governor mentioned stories of Ross taking part in a machine gun shoot on private property as "just one example," Hollis French, who led the opposition to Ross in the State Senate, said that the alleged shooting incident "certainly never came up in floor debate."

Oh, come on, Senator. It doesn't take a mentalist to know which unfounded rumor was used to shoot down Ross' nomination. It was Leah Burton's unsubstantiated smear that WAR has said, "If a guy can’t rape his wife… who’s he gonna rape?" 

But it was repeated, and many times over. Burton's prevarication made the rounds of Palin-thrashing Alaska blogs and quickly went viral on the nutroots. E-mail rounds of faux outrage not-so-coincidentally were fired off. Although Ross emphatically denied ever saying such a reprehensible thing, that was all the tag team of French and Burton needed.

WAR's nomination had looked certain after his first day before the committee, but the damage was done. He was a dead man walking. How easily a good man's (or woman's) reputation can be destroyed by a single accusation, even if no one comes forward to say that they also heard it.

Burton's accusation is such a vile thing that I'm not surprised Gov. Palin would be loathe to repeat it. But for this Empire story to to omit it is ludicrous.

- JP

Ross: 'Absolutely false... I don't talk like that!'

Sean Cockerham of the Anchorage Daily News reported Thursday:

A letter surfaced Wednesday night in the state Senate Judiciary Committee, making allegations that Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney general nominee, Wayne Anthony Ross, made offensive comments about women and domestic violence in 1991.

The letter was written by Leah Burton, Cockerham says, who also wrote an anti-Palin book TheoPalinism – The Face of Failed Extremism. The Huffington Post and many other leftist websites have reproduced the Burton letter. Some state legislators have said that they were troubled by Burton's allegations.

According to Palin spokesperson Sharon Leighow, the governor asked Ross about the charges made by Burton, and he told her that the allegations are ”absolutely false.”

Meanwhile, Ross has responded to the charges made in the Burton letter by e-mail and with a letter of his own. Here are excerpts from the full text of Ross' response:

April 10, 2009

By Email and Capitol Mailbox

Honorable Member of the Twenty-Sixth Alaska State Legislature
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99801

Re: Letter Dated 7 April 2009 Purportedly From One Leah L. Burton

I am in receipt of a letter which purports to be from one Leah L. Burton. The letter is unsigned and I have been advised that it has been circulated to members of the Legislature...

Not content to discuss my record, someone has now chosen to circulate this unsigned memo which is replete with totally false statements...

I have never ever stated to anyone “If a guy can’t rape his wife… who’s he gonna rape?”

I don’t talk like that!

I don’t believe in that!

I totally abhor such a thought and I totally reject it!

Indeed, if I ever heard such a comment from anyone, that person would have faced a serious confrontation with me. Rape is a serious crime; it is not something to joke about; it is not something I joke about; and I have no sympathy with anyone who does. Indeed, as AG I intend to pursue rapists with the full power of my office and put them behind bars for as long a time as possible.

Nor have I ever stated “There wouldn’t be an issue with domestic violence if women would learn to keep their mouths shut!”

Such an allegation that I uttered those words is outrageous! Indeed, it is almost as outrageous as the words themselves!

I confess that I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to women...

The idea of “disciplining” a wife is outrageous! Wives are not children; they are partners (or at least should be). Any man who speaks to me about “disciplining his wife” deserves not to have one...

I have no patience or sympathy for any parent who fails to properly support his (or her) child...

As I said above, I am old-fashioned. I take my hat off inside if a lady is present. I try to rise as often as possible when a lady enters the room. I always try to treat women like I would like my wife to be treated. Call me a dinosaur, if you will, but that is how I was raised.

The Burton letter... crosses the line...

I am in receipt of a second memo dated 9 April 2009 referencing a lady who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on 8 April 2009.

The lady referenced my attendance at a UAA Forum in October 2005. She alleged that she heard me “argue that DV victims are liars”...

I simply pointed out that men too could be victims of domestic violence. I also stated that on occasion people who sought domestic violence protective orders did so because they wanted to use the process “as a sword rather than as a shield”. I said that in my experience I had seen cases in which people lied to get such protective orders and that our domestic violence system was sometimes abused.

Quite obviously the lady who attended the UAA forum heard only what she wanted to hear.

My remarks that day were accurate and based on almost four decades of experience in the field. The lady’s recollection of the event, however, was not accurate.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Wayne Anthony Ross
Attorney General

cc:
Sarah Palin, Governor
Mike Nizich, Chief of Staff
Sharon Leighow, Deputy Press Secretary

My own thoughts: Make no mistake - the politics of personal destruction are alive but deadly in Alaska. Gov. Palin's political enemies will tell any lie and destroy anyone's reputation if they calculate that it will do harm to the governor. When challenged to provide hard evidence to back up their vile allegations, they are never able to produce anything of substance. These vicious cretins are more ravenous than the wolves who prey on the herd animals of the 49th state. They should be exposed for the human filth that they are.

And btw, the Huffington Post gives manure a bad name. But you probably already knew that.

- JP

Ross Confirmation Hearings, Day Two

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin's nominee to be Alaska's Attorney General went before the Judiciary Committee of the State Senate. Today it was the House Judiciary Committee's turn. Wayne Anthony Ross received what the Juneau Empire characterized as a "mostly warm" reception from committee members.

Things cooled off a bit when one Democrat asked about a letter to The Alaska Bar Association Newsletter, the language of which she called "upsetting" to her and her constituents. Ross answered that his personal opinions have nothing to do with the job. He said as AG, he would not give his personal opinion on such matters, but would uphold the laws of the state.

- JP

NRA supports confirmation of one of its own

The National Rifle Association's political arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, has issued the following action alert in support of Gov. Sarah Palin's nominee to be confirmed as Alaska's Attorney General:

NRA Board Member Needs Your Help to be Confirmed as Alaska’s Next Attorney General!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Please Contact Your State Legislators Today! As we have reported, Wayne Anthony Ross, a member of the NRA Board of Directors, was nominated by Governor Sarah Palin (R) to be the next Attorney General of the State of Alaska.  This nomination requires confirmation by the full Legislature, which will consider his nomination on Thursday, April 16. There are few issues of greater importance to citizens of Alaska than the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the natural right of self-defense.  Wayne Anthony Ross is a proven, staunch defender of our Constitutional rights.  If confirmed, Alaskans can rest assured that their firearm freedoms and hunting heritage will have a strong advocate in the State Attorney General’s office with Wayne Anthony Ross. Please contact your state legislators TODAY and respectfully urge them to confirm Wayne Anthony Ross as Attorney General.  Contact information can be found here.

- JP

Ross Confirmation Hearings Underway in AK

Gov. Sarah Palin's pick to be Alaska's Attorney General began his confirmation hearings today. Wayne Anthony Ross was grilled by members of the state senate's Judiciary Committee on a numbers of issues ranging from tribal sovereignty to the death penalty.

Ross was asked how he would deal with situations like the those his predecessor faced when the governor was the object of an ethics investigation which her supporters say was clearly politically motivated:

"How would you handle a conflict between your duty to the governor and your duty to the law?" state Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, asked.

Ross said he would serve the interests of the state rather than of the governor.

"My duties to the law come first. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and that of the State of Alaska. I didn't take an oath to support and defend the governor," Ross said.

At times during the hearing, the exchanges between Ross and members of the committee became heated.

Nome Democrat Donny Olson challenged Ross on his opposition to Alaska's rural preference law for subsistence hunting and fishing, which the nominee worked to get tossed out by the Alaska Supreme Court, and another court ordered a federal takeover of subsistence hunting and fishing management across much of the state:

Ross said the state Constitution says Alaska’s assets belong to all state residents, and people should talk instead of going to the feds to get “more rights than other people.”

“You don’t invite the bear into your house and then expect not to get eaten up. We’re being eaten up and we need to get together,” Ross told the committee.

Olson objected.

“The bear that you call it is the United States government and that’s what had to step in here because state law was starting to run over the rank and file little guy out there that is trying to make a living out in rural Alaska,” Olson said.

Ross fired back.

“You’re a senator, you represent all Alaskans and you should be working with other Alaskans to develop solutions rather than going out and crying to mama out somewheres else, and saying ‘mom, you’ve got to help me,”’ Ross said. “That’s not necessarily directed at you. But we should have worked together to solve those problems, rather than get somebody else.”

Ross told the committee that he opposes the death penalty (Gov. Palin supports it) and said that state officials are often too intent on taking kids from homes in cases of alleged abuse rather than in keeping families together when appropriate.

The nominee will appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. State legislators are scheduled to vote on his confirmation April 16. the consensus among Alaska's legislators is that Ross, a strong gun-rights advocate who has a lot of Republican support in the Legislature, will be confirmed.

Update: Visit The Dutch Harbor Fisherman to learn how you can listen in on the hearings.

- JP