More on AP's big lie about cost of Palin resignation

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As uppy explained in a post we linked to here, the AP story by biased reporter Rachel D'Oro is just a smear job:

"When was Sarah stepping down and Governor Parnell sworn in? At the Governor's picnic in Fairbanks. A Governors Picnic is held every year and costs about the same every year, as the State of Alaska provides food and has to pay for the cost of set up on the picnic and such."

Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton made the same point, but her comment wasn't part of the original AP release. It was added later to an updated version of the original story. Meg says D'Oro's hit piece is "incredibly misleading" and explained that the resignation ceremony simply was incorporated into the previously scheduled governor’s picnic and organized by the lieutenant governor’s office.

Our colleagues see right through the lie AP sent down its wires and are sounding off...

Johnny at Alamo City Pundit:

"And they wonder why Mainstream Media are dying a prolonged, slow, tortuous death. Personally, it can’t happen fast enough for the AP for me."

Vicki at Frugal Café:

"So, Palin potentially saved the state millions by selflessly stepping down, and this Alaskan [reporter] is whining about buying new letterhead? Go figure."

Craig at the BUFFALOg:

"So, in an age where trillion-dollar deficits are considered normal, we're supposed to be outraged because Sarah's resignation cost Alaska the price of a Prius?"

Rev. Wayne at Rev. Wayne's Place:

"Why is it that seemingly every time a story comes out about Governor Palin, the author of the story is usually a woman? Are these women being used as liberal hand puppets because it is better if a woman attacks Governor Palin? Or is it because there is a rabid jealousy among the liberal elite women in this country over Governor Palin who can do anything?"

JavaHIGH at AR15.COM:

"Why is this on the front page of Yahoo? When has the financial cost of a politician's resignation ever made the news?"

Jerry Fuhrman at From On High:

"Oh, the humanity."

Rose at Mahoney's Musings:

"Can we give the Sarah Palin nitpicking a rest?"

catfish at Texican Tattler:

"Where's the story on how much it cost Illinois and the US Senate for Barrack Obama to resign? How 'bout the story on how much it cost Delaware and the US Senate for Joe Biden to resign? Or even a story on how much it cost New York and the US Senate for Hillary Clinton to resign?"

Vadm Collingwood at C4P:

"Two million wasted on phony ethics charges with no end in sight versus forty thousand in transition costs?"

Well, that's the hypocrisy of AP Rachel and her nutroots blogging buddies up in Alaska. As we've always said, hypocrisy is a prerequisite for being a leftist, liberal, progressive or whatever these lying moonbats are calling themselves these days.

- JP

AP, Alaska's Wyle E. Coyote Bloggers Lying Again

The Associated Press' Rachel D'Oro has written another Anti-Palin (AP) hit piece disguised as a legitimate news story:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Early estimates put the cost of Sarah Palin's midterm resignation as Alaska governor at a minimum of $40,000, not including a special legislative session partly linked to her departure.

D'Oro's crock is chock full o' lies to give the chock full o' nuts bunch of Palin-hatin' Alaskan bloggers something new to pass around their little blogging circle.

As Texas for Sarah Palin contributor upinak points out at The Palination:

When was Sarah stepping down and Governor Parnell sworn in? At the Governor's picnic in Fairbanks. A Governors Picnic is held every year and costs about the same every year, as the State of Alaska provides food and has to pay for the cost of set up on the picnic and such.

But that's just another inconvenient fact which gets in the way of a good smear job.

Among Rachel D'Oro's Facebook friends are Amanda Coyne (of the anti-Palin Alaska Dispatch, and a freelancer whose Palin hit pieces have appeared in the UK's leftist The Guardian and the USA's leftist Huffington Post), Brendan Joel Kelley (Associate Editor of the Anchorage Press, an-anti-Palin fish wrapper) and Linda Kellen Biegel (Palin-hatin' blogger at Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis whose idea of good, clean fun is to photoshop pictures of an innocent Down Syndrome baby).

There's nothing like fair and honest reporting, and when Rachel D'Oro's byline is on an AP story about Sarah Palin, it will be nothing like fair and honest reporting.

- JP

Gov. Palin speaks out on Daniels report

Gov. Sarah Palin has issued a statement on the report by the lawyer hired by the Alaska Personnel Board and misrepresented in a biased smear job by AP hack Rachel D'Oro.

In a short, two-paragraph statement published on her Facebook page, the governor said:

"I find the notion that I have taken any action pertaining to the legal defense trust fund misguided and factually in error. I am informed that this fund was created by experienced attorneys in DC and was modeled after other similar funds established for senators and others. The fund itself was not created by me nor is it controlled by me. Neither I nor my lawyer has received a penny from this fund, and I am informed the Trustee was withholding any action or payment pending final resolution with the Personnel Board. This is the hallmark of legal compliance and prudent conduct."

"In short, I have not 'acted' relative to the defense fund and it is misleading to say I have. I have no doubt that the Trust will welcome guidance by the Board, as do we all, but it is my understanding that this matter was not resolved and the complainant's violation of law has served to mislead the public and prejudice a fair review of this matter."

Sarah Palin

According to Anchorage television station KTUU, Kirsten Cole, the legal defense fund's trustee, stated in an e-mail:

"I haven't seen any report and as a matter of fact was just asked for additional information as of yesterday, July 20, 2009. Just a reminder that this legal expense fund was thoroughly vetted by numerous attorneys from Alaska to the East Coast. The purpose of the Trust is to help the Governor with the crushing legal fees she has incurred solely because of her public service."

As we reported last night, Gov. Palin's attorney Thomas van Flein also published statements on the governor's Facebook page here and here:

"All options are open in terms of legal remedies. It is a clear violation of Alaska law that Mr. Daniel explicitly reviewed with Ms. Chatman prior to her illegal actions. We will be contacting the appropriate authorities for review and action."

"The resolution of the Trust Fund is not final. I have been working with the investigator regarding supplemental information. The matter is still pending. Whatever you have seen was released in violation of law. There has been no Board finding of an ethics violation and there is a detailed legal process to follow before there is a final resolution."

Thomas Van Flein
Private Attorney for Sarah Palin

As we also reported last night, Randy Evans, the attorney who helped set up the legal defense fund, released a statement dismissing the implication of D'Oro's hit piece that there was any impropriety in its founding as "absolutely untrue":

"It was specifically patterned after well recognized trusts of prior Presidential candidates as well as high profile public servants. As with other public servants, there is no impropriety in the creation or operation of such a trust and any suggestion to the contrary is candidly absurd." 

And John Coale, another lawyer who helped set up the fund, called Daniel's probable cause finding "crazy." Coale said that if upheld by the personnel board, then no governors could ever defend themselves against frivolous ethics complaints:

"If this complaint is true, there's no way to defend yourself" as governor, Coale said. "Anybody can keep filing ethics complaints and drive someone out of office even if you're a nut."

Coale said that unlike other states, Alaska's governor has no legal counsel's office to defend the governor from allegations brought against the governor in her official capacity.

D'Oro's story has been rewritten several times as each new statement was released and content added, which is standard AP practice. She has a history of biased and negative reporting on Gov. Palin as is documented here, here and here. Among D'Oro's "friends" on her Facebook page is virulent anti-Palin blogger Linda Kellen Biegel.

Update: Reaction from Terry Crowley at the OJB, Daniel Blatt at Right Wing News and from The Point Rider Republican -- to whom we tip our Stetson for the link.

- JP