Most of the complaints have been filed since last August, when Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked Mrs Palin as his running mate. -- PHOTO: AP
ANCHORAGE (Alaska) - ALASKA Governor Sarah Palin says her political enemies are abusing state law with a flurry of frivolous ethics complaints against her, putting her more than US$500,000 (S$727,000) in legal debt.
Those filing the grievances - there have been at least 18 cases so far - say it's their legal right to hold the Republican governor accountable for what they see as abuses of power.
The truth is probably somewhere in between. Most of the complaints have been filed since last August, when Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked Mrs Palin as his running mate. And most have been denied.
Even some of Mrs Palin's critics question the validity of some of the complaints, and her supporters have waged a weeklong Webathon to raise money for a legal defence fund set up for the governor, ringing up more than US$109,000 by day seven, Sunday.
But the number of filings may also reflect a broader awareness of ethics law in Alaska, where any citizen can send in any number of complaints. Some say they are taking Mrs Palin up on her own challenge to Alaska voters.
All the complaints have been brought by Alaskans, except for one filed by Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics alleging the US$150,000-plus designer wardrobe the Republican Party bought to outfit Mrs Palin in her vice presidential quest violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. That complaint was dismissed.
One complaint, in which the Alaska Personnel Board found no wrongdoing, concluded with the governor agreeing to pay the state US$10,000 for trips taken by her children - money that is due on Tuesday.
Another complaint, filed by Democratic blogger Linda Kellen Biegel, said Mrs Palin wore a jacket that promoted the sponsor of her husband's snowmobile racing team. That complaint, dismissed June 2, prompted Mrs Palin's statement about 'frivolous' ethics charges.
Mrs Palin was wrong to publicly criticize the complaints before the appropriate government body - the personnel board in most cases - had a chance to analyse them, said Gregg Erickson, a Juneau economist and longtime watcher of Alaska politics. That's simply bad politics, he said.
Alaska law mandates that ethics grievances remain confidential unless a public accusation is filed or the accused person agrees in writing to make it public. However, most complainants have ignored this requirement and have publicly discussed their grievances without any legal consequences. -- AP
