CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (Reuters) -
An Alaska ethics inquiry found on Friday that U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate
Sarah Palin abused her power as the state's governor, casting a cloud over
John McCain's controversial choice of running mate for the November 4 election.
The Alaska inquiry centered on whether Palin's dismissal of the state's public safety commissioner,
Walt Monegan, was linked to her personal feud with a state trooper who was involved
in a contentious divorce with the governor's sister.
A report prepared for the state Legislative Council said Monegan's refusal to fire
the trooper was not the sole reason he was dismissed but was likely a contributing factor.
The McCain-Palin campaign had said the commissioner was fired because of poor performance.
"Governor Palin 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," the report said.
The scandal known locally as "Troopergate" gained national attention after Palin,
who was little known in other states and has virtually no national or international experience,
was selected to be McCain's running mate .
McCain campaign dismissed the report, saying it was
a "partisan-led inquiry run by Obama supporters," and Palin and her family
had been justified to be concerned about the behavior of the trooper.
Palin "acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan,"
the campaign's statement said.
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