Second Troopergate Investigation Moving Quickly

[Blue_In_AK]

from The Mudflats http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/second-troopergate-investigation-moving-quickly/

Yesterday, Sarah Palin gave her deposition to the second Troopergate independent investigator, Tim Petumenos. Petumenos flew out of Alaska to question Palin on the campaign trail in St. Louis. The details are scant, but we do know a few:

. The deposition took two hours.
. Petumenos told Palin he was moving quickly, but couldn’t say whether the investigation would be complete before Election Day.
. Palin wants to make the transcript of her interview public.

“I am so pleased to finally have gotten the chance to tell what really happened and get the truth out,” Palin said in a statement released by her attorney, Thomas Van Flein. ”It was the right thing to do to bring this before the Personnel Board and have a true arms length unbiased and apolitical investigator look into this.”

I have a hunch that Petumenos will have nothing to do with that last request, for two reasons. First, although Palin herself has waived her right of confidentiality, other members of her staff have not. So it would be difficult, if not impossible, to tease out the information that has only to do with Palin and nobody else.

Second, I think Petumenos will realize that the release of her deposition would make the whole thing look political, which is the LAST thing that Palin wants. Right?

We all know that if Palin really wants this “out there,” all she has to do is hold a press conference. I doubt that reporters will come up with any questions that Petumenos didn’t. Nothing is stopping her. So, why doesn’t she do it? Because she doesn’t want to. One independent investigation has already found Palin guilty of an ethics violation. Branchflower and Petumenos are both highly respected men, known for their professionalism, and thorough unbiased work. All of Branchflower’s work was turned over by request to Petumenos for use in his own work. It would be stunning if the second investigation found anything different.