Palin Pick a Disaster for Coleman as Attention is Drawn to His “Alaska Problem”
Posted in Press Releases on August 29th, 2008
GOP’S VP Nominee Made Her Name By Standing Up To Big Oil Scandal
Palin and Franken Agree That Kenai River Classic “Is Intended To Influence Decisions”
Saint Paul [08/29/08] – Already under fire for his links to the Kenai River pay-for-play scandal in Alaska, Norm Coleman suffered yet another blow today when John McCain tapped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate.
Although Palin is facing her own scandal, an Anchorage Daily News columnist noted (7/07/07):
“It is to Gov. Sarah Palin’s credit that her attorney general’s office ruled that invited participation by any state official in the Kenai River Classic is intended to influence decisions and is subject to ethics laws.”
Communications Director Andy Barr:
“There were many potential VP candidates who might have helped Norm Coleman. For instance: Tim Pawlenty might have brought more McCain attention to Minnesota. And Mitt Romney might be the only politician in America who makes Norm look authentic by comparison. But instead, McCain picked an Alaskan whose political capital was built by taking on the same corruption scandal currently enveloping Coleman’s campaign. This will only increase the attention paid to this scandal – and that’s bad news for Norm Coleman.”
Palin’s Attorney General’s Office Ruled Classic Was “Intended To Influence Decisions And Is Subject To Ethics Laws.” In a July 2007 column, Alan Boraas of the Anchorage Daily News wrote, “With the future of the state at stake through controversial mining developments, a multibillion-dollar gas line and the continuing battle over fish allocation, it is to Gov. Sarah Palin’s credit that her attorney general’s office ruled that invited participation by any state official in the Kenai River Classic is intended to influence decisions and is subject to ethics laws.” [Anchorage Daily News, Alan Boraas Column, 7/7/07]
Palin’s Governor Bid Aided By Traction Of Looming Veco Scandal. In August 2008, Washington Post’s “The Fix” reported, “After a near-miss run in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2002, Palin set her sights on the state’s top office four years later. She campaigned on a platform of reform and was aided by the fact that the public had tired of Gov. Frank Murkowksi, and that the looming Veco scandal, which would come to badly imperil the state’s Republicans, had begun to get real traction.” [Washington Post, "The Fix," 8/29/08]
Anchorage Daily News: Kenai River Classic Is Held For Influence Peddling. “Powerful lobbyists in the arms, oil, mining and tourist industries are invited and they come to get close to senators and high government officials to advance their cause,” according to the Anchorage Daily News. [Anchorage Daily News, 8/4/07]
Palin And Alaska Lawmakers Run From Veco Ties. In May 2007, the Anchorage Daily News, “lawmakers will stand in line to support Gov. Sarah Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, if only because Veco doesn’t like the plan — and in this post-indictment era, no borderline-smart lawmaker will risk doing anything that hints at an allegiance to Veco.” [Anchorage Daily News, 5/9/07]
