Political Meddling in Johnston Drug Case?
Here we go again. For anyone worried that after the election, we poor Alaskan bloggers would have nothing more to write about, take heart. Here’s the latest in the Sherry Johston drug bust. Sherry Johnston as you all know is the mother of Levi Johnston, Governor Palin’s soon to be son-in-law.
Levi has been in the news and on blogs coast to coast over speculation that he somehow managed to get an apprenticeship electrician job on the North Slope ahead of all the others on the waiting list, and without the required high school diploma. More will be revealed on this in time.
But today’s Anchorage Daily News focused on his mother, and Bristol Palin’s soon to be mother-in-law Sherry Johnston.
A Mat-Su drug investigator and the union representing Alaska State Troopers are alleging political meddling in the Sherry Johnston drug case, including a delay in serving the search warrant because of the November election.
While new Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters (Walt Monegan’s replacement) and Col. Audie Holloway of the Alaska State Troopers deny that there were any irregularities, the head of the Troopers Union, John Cyr, and Troopers drug investigator Kyle Young say otherwise.
Cyr said the union is confident Young’s version of what happened is true. That’s because the union verified it in discussions “with the entire drug unit, with all of our members,” he said.
He said the people the union president spoke with included the case officer for the Johnston investigation, Donna Anthony. She works on the Mat-Su drug unit but is a member of the Palmer police force, which is not part of the union.
The rest of the new developments can be found HERE.
And Tuesday, Ms. Johnston will be arraigned at the courthouse in Palmer, Alaska. She will then be informed of the charges against her, and presumably enter a plea. Stay tuned.
Thats what I say-here we go again
here i am. again.
I smell a rat…or a dead fish. It sounds like someone has an ax to grind, perhaps has been irritated about the meddling of the Repugs in Alaskan business during the campaign or by SP and her heavy-handedness, and is using this drug case to bring the issue into the spotlight. Or maybe some bad blood between the Troopers’ union and the Public Safety Commissioner?
Are there any mudflatters planning to attend the arraignment? Wonder if any of Palin’s communication team will be in attendance. Sounds like “troopergate 2, and troopergate 1 is still open. Feel like I’m watching “As The World Turns”. Does she have her own counsel or will it be court appointed?
pvazwindy (20:52:42) :
Are there any mudflatters planning to attend the arraignment? Wonder if any of Palin’s communication team will be in attendance. Sounds like “troopergate 2, and troopergate 1 is still open. Feel like I’m watching “As The World Turns”. Does she have her own counsel or will it be court appointed?
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My guess is the Palin team/groupies/BFFs will be far, far away from this arraignment. I am not a lawyer, but I don’t think she has to have an attorney at this, she just hears the charges- the judge will ask if she needs a court-appointed attorney, and how she will plead, set court date…that kind of stuff (or maybe I’ve watched one too many law series, beginning with Perry Mason:-) )
What do you expect, It’s Alaska. Land of the ignorant, the incompetent and the corrupt.
Oooh, ouch, cooper. That’s a mighty broad brush you’re using.
Wish I could be there Tuesday to sketch the scene. What interesting times we live in.
Anybody know anything about the commish and deputy commish? Read their bios. Both say they retired from the dept. Palin brings them back and appoints them both? The department didn’t have any qualified applicants? My gut feeling tells me somebody nudged them. Hope she doesn’t tell the judge to go easy on her it was only decaf.
This is so interesting! Sarah Palin and Sherry Johnston are probably not BestFriendsForever or anything close. If Sarah used her political influence to meddle in the Johnston case, it’s probably not because she wants to help Sherry. Sarah is just looking out for Sarah, as usual.
poor levi he though he was hiding away on the North slope and she brought him into he head lights again..she knows that she know what she knows…
you betcha.
Why would the trooper lie…
why would Masters say what he did, cause she could fire him and we know that she would and could…unless the courts told she could not…you betcha she has been practicing.
This Johnston, Palin, connection would make a great episode on “Desperate Housewives”. The kids and how their moms try to manipulate their lives.
Even with the delay and coverup tactics,
Grandpa
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Dingbat
didn’t win the election. The people of AK need to be thinking with their big head, not the little one AKA willie/johnson. I know you have a high proportion of men, but fer cryin’ out loud, WAKE UP PEOPLE!
SP is the ruination of AK and your 50 years as a state. Thank you Alaska Bloggers for providing the spotlight and adult supervision.
ATTENTION:: according to the court docket the COURT date has bumped to tomorrow the fifth.
JANUARY 5, 2008
8:30am
new judge….beverly w cutler.
Ohhh cooper…….Alaska is like every where else….a few bad apples….but also a lot of very good one…guess you have just not been on this site long enough to know the good ones……. ; )
tricky Mustang
so they will have it tomorrow and when were planning to show up on the 6th… wonder how many missed what you found…interesting
Sorry “when people were planning to show up on the 6th”
I think that the role AKM and the other Alaskan bloggers play will go a long way in helping to bring SP down. Especially with the paper reporting about to go defunct up there. Not that it was ever that good. AKM and her fellow bloggers wii only grow in stature. Stay tuned. The real adventure in Alaska, occurs in the Capitol city of Anchorage, and Wasilla.
yeah mhrt/or….were they hoping no one would be there???
..ya think??
LOL
now we’ll see what the AK MSM actually does…will they ‘not’ know the date was moved up?
…or will they be there…
Gee, I wonder if there’s a correlation between appointed positions and interference in this?
Attorney General = appointed position = delay in search warrant?
Commissioner = appointed position = smearing case officer?
Wake up and smell the coffee Governor Grifter! Sherry Johnston was selling oxycontin! She is a drug dealer! Whether or not she gets off on a technicality because you’ve got your trained puppy commissioner smearing case officers is not going to help you in any way!
This reminds me of something… what was it again… OH, now I remember! Troopergate! You know, that thing where the Gov tried to cover her ass and ended up showing it to the world instead!
Wonder if there’s a pattern here? Nah, I didn’t think so either!
Honestly. With this many coverups to create a puritanical image, how many does it take for Sarahphiles to give it up? She’s not Queen Ester. She’s not even Condi (at least she has a PhD). Susan B. Anthony is probably rolling over in her grave if this is her “successor.”
SP needs to get some moral fiber and stop disgracing the people of Alaska.
Presiding judge Cutler. Graduate of Stanford and Yale Law School. Judgeship since 1982.
SMR- your posts last night were great. And tonight, another zinger.
Oops. Sry Juneau. Think I’ll go to bed
As the Wasilla Hillbillies turn.
@pvazwindy –
Yes, my snarkiness is starting to seep through. I try to keep it under control here since all of the posters are so diplomatic & reasonable, but I am getting very tired of this stuff…
Reminds me of a t-shirt that I saw about a year ago, it said “Dear Republicans, I am so sick of your sh!t” — change Republicans to Sarah Palin or to Alaskan Legislators, and you get some idea of how I am feeling these days…
Further, on the off-chance that sarahspies troll here now & then, wanted to make sure that they understand that this is so obvious that even a first grader could get it.
Message to Alaska legislators: Do you get it now? Do you get that the precedent that you established by letting her skate on the troopergate stuff has led to the potential for more Governor malfeasance??? Or are you all as unethical as she is, playing the “what’s in it for me” game right along with her?
Sarah Palin has turned Alaska into an even bigger pile of steaming offal than it was before. And that is REALLY saying something. Who would have thought it was possible? Is she related to Huey Long or what?
ACK! I’m on jury duty this month in Palmer.
Gryhpen had a blog about this earlier this eve:
“However the question in this case is how many individuals were able to purchase drugs illegally from Sherry Johnston while this investigation was in limbo waiting for the election to be over and the Palin interference to an end?
Were there twenty Wasilla teenagers who got high on Johnston Oxycontin during this time? Fifty? A hundred?
“How many Valley residents, who had never tried anything harder then pot, found themselves becoming addicted to Oxycontin in the months that the Palin administration kept the Troopers from taking this drug dealer off of the streets? How many lives may have been damaged or destroyed in that amount of time?”
Good job Gryphen, you took the words right out of my mouth, I’ve been wondering the exact thing…How many people/pills.
If this was a ongoing investigation there should be documentation…doncha think?
Then a anon comment: AST gets tip/informant,
Starts a investigation which confirms that SJ is dealing,
Next step up the AST chain of command for decision on how to proceed with investigation,
Higher ups in AST approach DA for search warrant and arrest warrant,
DA passes information on to AG,
AG passes information on to Mc Cain people running Alaska Governor’s office,
The rest is obvious.
McCains people!!!! Who were up here “running” Alaska “cleaning” gov. grifter’s reputation squeaky clean until she threw JM under the straight talk express….McCain….I think CREW ought to be involved in this.
I’m mean really…how come they didn’t just arrest Sherry in Oct. Think about it????
How many “Gates” is that now about 10 or so, must be getting close….
Here’s CREW’s website
http://www.citizensforethics.org/submitted
I think that the people of Florida will be depressed to find that Alaska has over taken them as the “Most Loony” state.
I know both Joe Masters and Audie Hollaway, both are law enforcement professionals who would never consider delaying an investigation for any purpose. I do wonder why the trooper union is interviewing people though, drug investigations are confidential and Mr Cyr or those he interviewed have no business discussing this prior to trial.
Let the facts come out in the proper forum at trial or after, not from a biased union press release.
empish – not to worry……..it will never go to trial……..there will be a plea deal………hey – did Cindy McCain and Sherry ever go get coffee together ?? McCain must of had a shit fit when he heard about the investigation…….of course there was a delay……..look what he did for his wife……..he stopped a FEDERAL investigation and ruined peoples lives when in fact Cindy was stealing and eating the pills!! The “Truth Squad” was scrambling their ass off to keep this under wraps until after Nov. 4………you betcha!!!
crystalwolf a.k.a. caligrlNo Gravatar (01:03:31) :
Ditto on what Gryhpen said from me too. My first thought were how many people bought drugs while they were waiting for the election. I wonder, did anyone around there die from a drug overdose during that time. THAT scandal would sink SP and the others who made a drug case a political issue.
Most crime is related to drug addiction……..how many robberies ,thefts,car break-ins happened during this time ???
another day another and God opens another “gate”!
Looks like this ‘cooper’………..
Is laying the blanket of blame on Alaska, and the people of, instead of the grifter’s, and now extended family drug dealers, of the palin ‘soap opera’, looks like another simplified goper spin!!
What Silly Sarah doesn’t seem to realise is that God is going to open a door just so he can kick her ar** right out of it.
I read that the case has been moved to today!
Captain Crab , the county I live in here in FL has more residents that AK. When I moved here in ’81, 3 of the 5 county comissioners were arrested and charged and found guilty. We have some looney politicans and sill have plenty of ongoing scandals!
I have been wondering how this all came about also. My feeling is that someone may have filed a grievence with the Union. Why would you interview everyone on the team involved with the case unless there was something to investigate? Seems there might be more to this story. Time will tell.
I can’t wait to hear the recap of the arraignment. Surely there will be a mudpuppy ‘on the scene’.
Lance – no kiddin’ !!! ……..wonder if Levi shows up for “family support”………any one for that matter……..poor Sherry probably has been “orphaned” by the Palin posse/familia…….
sjk from the belly of the plane:
Florida is unbelievable and Carl Hiaasen has made an excellent living writing about it. But Alaska has kind of taken center stage since Ms. Palin, etal, came onto the scene. Florida scandals don’t normally make the national news, unfortunately.
I will have to caculate the per capita scandal rate.
I’m with Belly of the Plane. We here in FL cherish our loony politicians. I live in the Congressional district that changed Congresspersons three times in two elections cuz of sex scandals.
Admittedly, the 2006 Congressional Page Scandal of R Mark Foley was FAR more entertaining than the plain old unoriginal Adultery with His Staff of D Tim Mahoney. We now have a guy (R) named Rooney. Yup, a freshman R Congressman in an overwhelmingly D House. I see us really getting the old pork here. NOT.
After all, we are the home of Katherine Harris and Jeb “God told me Terri is still a thinking, rational person” Bush.
Sometimes if it wasn’t for the weather and the low taxes…..well, it is 74F today, and it’s January 5. Sometimes, rational politicos are over-rated.
shoeho, my taxes aint so low! but the weather does make up for a LOT of things.
Proud Community OrganizerWANo Gravatar (05:20:43) :
I have been wondering how this all came about also. My feeling is that someone may have filed a grievence with the Union.
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That was among my first thoughts while reading the story at ADN. The union would not have become involved unless someone brought a concern to their attention. It will be interesting to see how this turns out; my guess is that we’ll hear little more about it.
Johnston is arraigned today? Will she show or waive based on amount of evidence gathered by investigators? Does AK have a program for first-time offenders that allows them to avoid jail and allows their record to be expunged if they undergo counseling and a period of supervised probation? Is she a first-time offender? From where did she get her hillbilly heroin? Is there a valid medical reason for her having the oxycontin?
The ADN article from a couple weeks ago stated she sold the drug on 10/11, 10/22 and 11/26. But the arrest was not effectuated until nearly a month after the last listed sale a period of time which in itself does not seem unusual. But 2 of the sales did occur prior to the Election. Was the Secret Service or the McCain Campaign notified at those times?
Perhaps a lot of the local and state political dirt doesn’t make it to the MSN from Florida, but let’s not forget that the sensational likes to rear its head here at times.
Have we already forgotten astronaut-diaper and “don’t tase me bro”??
But yeah, it’s a REALLY nice day in Florida, at least lately.
btw – just where is Levi Johnston at this point in time? Is he up on the slope, or did he come back to Wasilla to join his girl in Labor & Delivery? Will he stand by his mother later today or will she have to face the music without her most famous son by her side?
Of course, Masters kept a lid on the investigations.
1. He was aware of Monegan’s fate.
2. He was aware that the McCain campaign’s lawyers had taken over the whole State apparatus, precisely to guard against any ‘surprises’.
Why would he want to ruffle any feathers? It’s not as if he has the job security afforded by the Troopers Union. (Damn those Unions!).
The Governor, in any case, would soon leave Alaska. Off to reform D.C. To rid the capital of our great nation, from the corrupting influence of the ‘good ol’ boy network’. To reform by ruffling feathers (and having the scars to show for it.)
I have no trouble believing that SP actually did not know about the investigation in Sept./Oct. I think it is incredibly plausible that those McCain opertives directly told the AK law enforcement folks to back off ’til after the election OR one of those ‘higherups” made the decision off their own bat, deliberately to help keep SP from looking bad pre-election (whether out of loyalty or fear of reprisal I’m not sure).
Speaking of repsrisal, let’s see who gets fired, reassigned, and hired over the next couple of months …
aluminumfoil beanie/on
I think that’s why the union folks let this leak, before the trial (better still, before the arrignment even. Perhaps that’s why the date and judge were changed … ). I think they were trying to make sure that eyes were on this case in order to assure that what happens here on out is above-board. It could be either an attempt to try to reign Sarah in, or perhaps a plot to try to ‘catch her in the act’ – Maybe not such a bad idea. If she is dumb enough to fall for it, that’s really bad news for her and great news for the Gov’s race in 2010. And if SP’s forced to keep her nose out of it, well, what are the chances that the AK legal system will not officially stamp Bristol’ mother-in-law a A) drug user B) drug dealer C) felon (is it a felony? I don’t know) D) you fill in the blank ________________
None of those choices reflect well on SP and it must be making her a little crazy.
aluminumfoil beanie/off
You Floridians are right. You can still lay claim to the most “Loony State”.
I’m still going to calculate the per capita rate though!
shoe and husky – nearly every state has its share of untoward behavior by politicians. it’s just that some are more famous than others and thus get more attention. here in pennsyltucky, we have a former legislative leader on trial in the federal court for corruption – including more than 30 counts of obstruction for engaging in acts similar to Sarah Palin (emails, specifically). he’s just not as famous. there are also former members of the democratic caucus who are under indictment for acts related to paying state workers overtime, etc., for political work.
had Palin not been selected by McCain, very few people would care about Sherry Johnston or Walt Monegan and there would be no Babygate.
btw – how’s Mr. Foley doing? Has he been behaving himself lately?
before I wander off, wanted to leave a happy thought.
Ted Stevens will not be seated as a Senator when that body goes back into session.
Hey, y’all! Happy New Year!
Call me crazy, but as I tried to catch up on all of this, I began to wonder if Grifter Spice might have been the original tipster?
Comments by ds55 (@21:11:37, regarding lack of friendship) , and sauerkraut (@ 06:23:46, regarding timing of sales vs. arrest) helped to clarify my thought. (Thanks, ‘Pups!)
At any rate, is it possible that all the “grief” surrounding Bristol’s pregnancy/Trig might have induced Grifter Spice to have tipped off the State Troopers, out of spite? What with all we’ve learned over the past several months, I can imagine her lashing out that way, but then the McCain truthiness squad stepping in to “urge restraint” on the arrest till after the election.
I know… I know…. it seems counter-intuitive to me, too. I can’t imagine adding that much trauma to a kid’s life, my own or someone else’s, just out of spite. But, sadly, I CAN imagine our Sarah doing something like that – and NOT because she’s worried about the community impact of drug-dealing.
And…. there’s something about the reticence from the Governor’s office that just doesn’t “feel” genuine – almost like she’s biting her tongue to keep from indulging in massive schadenfreude.
You betcha. Also.
Alaskan (04:05:15) :
I know both Joe Masters and Audie Hollaway, both are law enforcement professionals who would never consider delaying an investigation for any purpose.
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I have no reason to disagree with your estimation except I have become very, very jaded after watching Colin Powell address the United Nations and sell an invasion that I knew was very, very wrong. I had the utmost respect for Gen. Powell and I still hold him in high regard but he lost a bit of lustre on that day. Masters is likely a good soldier but like all good soldiers, they simply follow orders.
Melangell aka Missile Blunt Palin, Gamecock Territory, SC:
Grifter drops a dime on Sherry. Where do you think Track got his oxy from? Then campaign, McCains truth squad whitewashing Alaska….That is why this should alert CREW, Washington ethics, TS also interfered with Trooper gate and intimidated the Leg. that stonewalled on that and Now (Doogan/Dyson) refuses to act on it. Then they (get Trooper’s) to “just ignore Sherry’s” dealing, until the election is over. What would of happened had Grifter spice won? Also there is no-way Bristol and Levi “didn’t know” either, plus a bunch of Wasilla people. Oh, damn there’s a whole lot to chew on here! 
At any rate, is it possible that all the “grief” surrounding Bristol’s pregnancy/Trig might have induced Grifter Spice to have tipped off the State Troopers, out of spite? What with all we’ve learned over the past several months, I can imagine her lashing out that way, but then the McCain truthiness squad stepping in to “urge restraint” on the arrest till after the election.
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I’m with you on this!
It appears that Johnston will indeed be arraigned today.
http://orca.courts.state.ak.us/reports/DPCT-3PA.pdf
Thanks, Caligirl! So glad to know I’m not alone in my “paranoia”!!
And yeah, the likelihood that Sherry was Track’s dealer had occurred to me.
You know, if Miz Sarah had just a wee tad more self-awareness (as opposed to narcissism), she and the rest of the crew could probably support a whole season of Jerry Springer. On second thought, nahh! I’m just as glad she doesn’t. I couldn’t stomach watching it. AKM and Mudflats is so much more civilized.
Well, imagine that! Seems the ADN has actually found a link between drug use and-gasp-CRIME!
http://www.adn.com/crime/story/642733.html
It’s not illegal if Todd was the arranging the investigation. He’s just a concerned citizen,!
CO almost native (20:57:59):
I am not a lawyer, but I don’t think she has to have an attorney at this, she just hears the charges- the judge will ask if she needs a court-appointed attorney, and how she will plead, set court date…that kind of stuff (or maybe I’ve watched one too many law series, beginning with Perry Mason.
***
HECK YES she needs a lawyer at the arraignment. Notwithstanding Perry Mason & Co, don’t ever, ever go to court on a serious matter without a lawyer. For example, at the arraignment issues of bail will be considered; the DA will press for harsh bail conditions, and the defendant needs a lawyer to argue for something more reasonable.
And, FYI, Judge Bev Cutler is also the daughter of the late Lloyd Cutler, White House Counsel to both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. IMHO she is an excellent judge. I am recalling that the Anchorage judges go to Palmer on rotation (well, they used to), so she won’t necessarily be the judge for the trial if there is one.
Alaskan (04:05:15) :
I know both Joe Masters and Audie Hollaway, both are law enforcement professionals who would never consider delaying an investigation for any purpose. I do wonder why the trooper union is interviewing people though, drug investigations are confidential and Mr Cyr or those he interviewed have no business discussing this prior to trial.
Let the facts come out in the proper forum at trial or after, not from a biased union press release.
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I’m with Alaskan, although I have no knowledge of the track record of either person. I find it very strange that this complaint/email came out before the arraignment; something is very fishy…or moose poopy…or something…
@ Kimosabe
Thanks for the info; in Colorado, some accused go without a lawyer to the arraignment, as they don’t know any better, or can’t afford one. They get assigned counsel, hear the charges, and the arraignment is postponed until the attorney can handle the case.
DF (07:31:32) :
It appears that Johnston will indeed be arraigned today.
http://orca.courts.state.ak.us/reports/DPCT-3PA.pdf
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I think this has already happened, unless I can’t calculate time change from MST. Any word?
Re FL taxes.
Well, it kinda depends on where you live, what you have Homesteaded, etc. We have two pieces of property down here, one a Homestead, one not. The taxes on the HS one are about 1/3 of what we’d pay if it was taxed at “retail.” The other, well, it keeps going up and up. Of course, we’ve owned the HS one for about 15 years, so it’s way under the odds since it’s limited how much they can raise it.
One of the reasons we moved here from CT was the state income tax there. My DH gets paid the same $$ no matter where we live, so the income tax in CT was going to take a BIG bite when they inacted it in 1992.
Co almost Native–
It’s 0833 in ANC right now. That’s the docket, you’ll notice many of the cases are at the same time. Could be soon, could be a couple hours. Depends on how fast the judge works.
@Jim (07:44:50) –
You’re funny! You beat me to it, I was going to link that article here too!
Doesn’t take ADN long to catch on, does it?
And ADN wonders why their readership has gone down… bloggers my arse! It’s because they report something like that and actually think it’s news to us! How many people out there do not understand that there is a link between drugs and crime? Apparently ADN thinks the majority of their readers!
Not so long ago (6 months?) ADN had headlines saying Wasilla/Mat-Su was the meth capital of AK (don’t doubt it for a second), but I recently read somewhere that oxycontin has supplanted meth as the drug of choice out there/primary concern of law enforcement. ADN hasn’t run a new story about that change of circumstance. Their approximately 3-6 month lag in reporting is why they suck & are irrelevant.
It’s 8:39 a.m. in Alaska right now.
dear akm .as usual a great job.there is something so refreshing in the way you express your thoughts.on those days when i am not feeling so well or thinking sad thoughts i come here to your site and read and feel connected to the sweet souls who comment.here in new york we have some REAL rascals.they don’t die.they multiply!!! we will keep on fighting them until we win. we won obama in 08 and we will keep on helping each other get through the hard times ahead….b
SMR(08:52:22) :
So, who/what paper online do you recommend we read? I agree about ADN; just in the last few months it has tanked as far as relevancy…
12:50 east coast. how long do the arraignment sessions last? is there one call or more? how does the list get determined – i.e., alpha order, case number order, otherwise?
Here, you get called first if you have the most senior member of the bar representing you. If you have a junior lawyer or no lawyer at all, it can take a while. Don’t know if that kind of “elitist” behaviour takes place in Alaskan courts, too?
Yup! Sherry’s scheduled for arraignment at 8:30 a.m.
Alaska time in Courtroom 5, in the Palmer courthouse.
I think you all will really enjoy checking out Judge Palmer’s family background. Go to: orca.courts.state.ak.us/reports/DPCT-3PA.pdf
SOA (state of Alaska)vs. Johnston, Sherry Lee, Case No. 3PA-08-03566CR. While the majority of the others scheduled for arraignment this morning have someone from the Public Defender Agency, Ms. Johnston does not. Perhaps she’ll show up with private counsel. We note her birthdate is 12/14/1966.
But what is REALLY interesting is the political/legal family background of Judge Beverly W. Cutler. She’s lived in Alaska since graduating from Yale (some 30 years), but comes from an extremly influential and prestigious Washington, DC family. Her paternal grandfather was a lawyer for New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Her recently deceased father was editor of Yale Law Review and was described by the Washington Post as a legal mandarin & consumate lawyer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/08/AR2005050800378. Sorry if that link doesn’t work, just google Lloyd Cutler & Washington.
He once was an arbiter for the Rolling Stones during a disagreement with the band’s manager and, in perhaps one of his least heralded success stories, persuaded Mick Jagger to wear a necktie at the Metropolitan Club.
“A gravelly-voiced and courtly man who exuded Ivy League polish and confidence, Cutler had admirers who liked to highlight his pro bono work dating from the civil rights battles of the 1960s. He co-chaired a group called Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, formed at the request of President John F. Kennedy. He also played a major role in organizing lawyers to defend those whose civil rights had been violated for protesting segregation as well as those arrested during the riots spurred by the killing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
He later argued before the U.S. Supreme Court the case of NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. , (1982), which helped the civil rights organization avoid paying a large financial penalty for having organized a boycott against white merchants in Mississippi in the late 1960s.
He was seen by his close associates as an idealist who asked that his employees always find “the right answer,” even if it did not mesh initially with the client’s desire. Much of his work was focused on the notion of finding an avenue of compromise between big industries, which seldom wished to capitulate, and their equally ardent adversaries.
Perhaps Cutler’s most persistent critic was consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who once called him “the symbol of anti-consumerism in Washington” for having helped the auto industry in the 1960s avoid proposed criminal penalties for safety violations.
Joseph Laitin, the late Washington Post ombudsman and Treasury Department spokesman, described Cutler as “a corporate godfather by day and Sister Theresa by night.”
(end of WP quote)
Sounds like Judge Cutler should be a very smart person who loves Alaska, and should be embarassed by the whole Palin family soap opera. I’m wondering if the case wasn’t switched to her because the Alaska “establishment” which is not fond of Palin, is well aware that really, the whole country will be watching how this case is handled.
Wow! Judge Cutler! Ms. Johnston must be nervous.. Cutler is NOT known for leniency.
She is Not the judge she would wont! and I’m not sure she could be manipulated at all. But you never know?? As far as being painted with a broad brush I don’t let it bother me. That would be the making of others.
@CO Almost Native –
Unfortunately for people in Anchorage, ADN is more or less the only game in town. On the one hand it’s amazing to me that ADN cannot manage to be profitable given the fact that they are the only real newspaper in Southcentral Alaska, on the other hand they suck so bad that people like me have decided that they would rather read NOTHING or get their news online than rely on them to report the news.
It’s difficult for me to figure out their agenda. Honestly, they are nearly as bad as our legislature in terms of not being willing to report honestly re: our Governor, the Alaskan government.
Media has a lot of power — if they were willing to do their job, that is, report the facts w/out concerning themselves about retribution from short-term elected officials — they can effect a lot of change. Had Alaskans had the facts about the TransCanada pipeline deal, Troopergate, oil taxes, and lots of other shady political stuff, there would likely have been much more citizen involvement.
I was out w/a fellow oil friend just before leaving AK, and he was ranting about ADN, its one-sided reporting re: oil (very anti-oil, kowtowing to the Palin machine’s position), said that he was only continuing his subscription to support the local paper, that he’d gone to his company’s PR group and told them that they should not bother with the full-page ads for thousands of dollars in a newspaper that uses so much of its space beating on the oil companies. For example, you get some huge op-ed piece from Palin’s full-of-sh!t commissioner Irwin (or worse, Rutherford, who was once a TransCanada lobbyist, and is now a Palin appointee) about how Exxon is trying to screw Alaska on the Pt Thomson deal, and a couple of pages ahead of that is a full page ad from ConocoPhillips (partners w/Exxon in the pipeline and many other things, possibly including Pt Thomson).
It would be one thing if there was a piece that balanced that op-ed, or facts supporting the piece in other stories within ADN, but they cannot seem to be anything other than a Palin propaganda machine, except when they are suuporting the agenda of McClatchy. Promoting Obama as president? Well, great, but where is the reporting to back that up?
That paper is schizo!
Anyway, that’s a long answer to your question that didn’t really answer it, so I’ll say here that if Alaskans (or others) want to know more about what is going on in AK they must become more involved. They will have to do some legwork to get to the sites on the internet that list dates/times of meetings, they will have to work toward expecting their legislature & assemblies to be accountable to constituents, reports released, minutes released, etc.
Sometimes you get lucky and you find a blog like this one and it proves to be superior to ADN in terms of reporting on issues that affect Alaska and Alaskans in terms of core issues. Ethics & accountability are at the core of Alaska’s problems.
I understand the curiousity about babies and stuff, but don’t really care about that stuff, so while I read about it, I’m not concerned with it and don’t bother to comment. I understand there’s concern (on my part, as well) that it goes to a larger pattern of dishonesty by Gov P, but we’ll never get the truth out of her, she’s incapable of being honest, so I can’t be bothered.
I go to CNN, Andrew Sullivan and other Atlantic bloggers, pretty much all of the Alaska links provided here by AKM (on the right) – bloggers & news sites, and that’s about it. I read the letters to the editor at ADN to see if Alaskans seem to be getting a clue, check out their headlines for Money/Oil (the only thing there worth reading most days, some days not), and check out their op-ed headlines.
I’ve never checked out the Juneau Empire, but it will likely prove to be a better source of info, particularly once the legislature is back in session this month.
@SMR (09:36:44) :
I’ve never checked out the Juneau Empire, but it will likely prove to be a better source of info, particularly once the legislature is back in session this month.
I wouldn’t bet on it, esp. since they’ve recently just cut a bunch of their staff too… They’re owned by the Morris Co./Corp. out of GEORGIA (the state, not the country) and actually endorsed McCain/Palin, in spite of Juneau being one of the bluest places in this state.
OT, but a question for AKM or other people in the know–Why does the time stamp seem to be about 15 minutes fast? I just posted at what my computer said was 9:29, and the timestamp on the blog said 9:44.
@InJuneau –
That sucks. I guess AK is screwed all the way around when it comes to newspapers. I will hold out hope that they do some decent legislative reporting.
I never liked ADN because it seemed second rate. The one thing I notice during the election is that they only showed stories that supported Gov. Palin. I asked my husband if he saw some of the press I saved on my pc, and he never saw it or heard of it.
He lived way up north, and I showed him some things, he never saw or heard anything we hear. But, it doesnt surprise me that the McCain/Palin campaign managed to keep this from going forward. It is shocking that in spite of issues like this, SP manages to get support. How incredibly embarassing, I think the Alaska people need to wake up!
If Sherry is a 1st time offender and “cooperates” with the prosecutors office – the judge will usually go along with a strict court monitored rehab program that includes UA’s , unannounced home and work visits , curfew……happens all day – everyday in this great land of ours………..she will be on probation and never vote or own a gun again………
I read the article in the Anchorage news. Unbelievable. Sarah’s involvement or not, McCain and his political cover up team are disgusting. “Trying to smear the officer who investigated…..?” How typical of what went on during the campaign. So, if the SS were investigating Johnston, how long were they going to wait to arrest her? how many drugs deals are enough to finally arrest someone? When McCain and Palin got into office? How admirable! What is the union’s role in this? To protect the cops, probably? Is Sherry a stupid idiot or what? Gee, I guess she knew she was committing a crime when she was being dishonest and sneaking around during the SS involvement with her family. Drug addiction is a powerful illness for sure. She needs to be locked up.
I need to make a statement in the bigger, more important issue. Sarah and the rest of the family should want Sherry as far away from the new grandkid Tripp as possible. i mean, let’s get real! If this cover up is true, Palin is proving to be more despicable than I imagined.
As much as I’d like to believe the worst in this situation, I suspect it is less than meets the eye. First, nobody “switched” Johnston’s case to Judge Cutler. There are only two Superior Court judges sitting in Palmer, and cases are mechanically assigned back and forth between them. The other judge, Eric Smith, is also a Yale Law School graduate whose prior legal work was doing environmental and native american law at the EPA, the Trustees for Alaska and then as a sole practitioner – hardly a sympathetic ear to an outlier of the Palin clan. Second, I also know some of the law enforcement people involved and there is zero chance they did Palin any favors. A much more likely scenerio is that, being fully aware of the hostility between the Department of Public Safety and the Palin clan, the Troopers waited until they had this case absolutely, totally, completely locked up before moving.
@Who’s on First –
I’m not sure that anyone gives any credibility to tampering on the part of the Troopers. Quite the opposite. Questions abound as to why the Commissioner felt obliged to publicly make a statement that attempted to discredit the affidavit of one of the troopers involved in the case. Further, one could reasonably wonder whether or not there were warrant issues (we all know that Talis is Palin’s lackey, and doesn’t have problems with circumventing the law where she is involved), &/or meddling from the attorneys sent by McLame for the Truth Squad’s efforts. The timing is certainly right. Is someone going to try to get this case tossed based on irregularities (as brought up by the APPOINTED commissioner)?
As far as judges go, I wouldn’t be bothered with wondering about issues there. Either judge is going to be tough on Sherry J if they take the crime & drug problems of Wasilla seriously. But I’m not sure how stiff the penalties can be for a first-time offender. I hope the troopers sewed her up nice & tight.
Anything that has anything to do with the Palin brood is now subject to controversy. Can’t even charge a drug dealer, caught selling, without the brainwashed Palinites thinking it’s some sort of conspiracy. And that in the meth/oxy capital of Alaska!
The least we see with the Palin circus is constant squirrelly – ass behaviour……..the stench of corruption and illegality permeates every one and thing around SP……..the law of averages alone dictates that one of the -gates has to blow!!……hopefully sooner than later ……..
Law enforcement agencies point to drugs as the prime motive for break-ins: many burglars steal stuff to buy the drugs of choice in the Valley right now — heroin or pills like Oxycontin.
And Johnston is dealing big time. BIG time. 179 pill shipment going for $80 per pill! This is not super big time, but pretty damn big for Wasilla. I want to know who her clients are. Kids? (Bristol , Track, Levi all had drug problems.) Adults? The robbers in todays’s ADN article on Mat Su break-ins? Other adults? Is this tied to the church fire i.e. are any church members customers of Johnston’s? AND, by the way, how is THAT investigation coming? Whoever did that fire is a dangerous person since accelerant was at the entrance and exits as well, even if they did not put two and two together and surmise there may be people inside due to the cars parked outside.
Palin’s harm to this state is not just in the “bad news” area anymore — with $500,000 million on the pipeline to nowhere and nothing being done for Natives and fuel costs, especially now with this super cold snap, this woman is doing real financial harm as well as being “ethically challenged.”
IT IS TIME TO IMPEACH PALIN AND IF THE LEGISLATORS WON’T THEN WE NEED TO HAVE THEM INVESTIGATED–WRITE OUR CONGRESSMENT? PETITION THE FBI TO INVESTIGATE? RECALL PALIN? WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE OPEN TO ALASKANS TO GET RID OF THIS SICK WOMAN?
Think of all the betrayals on one level or another here. Of course Levi knew mom was dealing. How could he not tell Bristol. How mad is Palin at Bristol for not telling her, if, in fact Palin did not know to begin with. If Sherry was selling to Track, the Palin would be very pissed off about that too, unless of course, Palin was getting Oxy from Sherry as well. This is a very complicated web no matter who did / did not know what about who, when etc.
I had Oxycontin for 4 months ( broke wrist 4 places, had external fixator and then painful therapy) and for me ( in constant pain) it did not make me feel “high” and certianly not woozy. My thinking was very clear, 75% of pain was actually gone, and I just felt a great LACK of anxiety. Some one else described it as “feeling safe.” IN OTHER WORDS, A NICE DRUG FOR LEVI, BRISTOL AND EVEN PALIN WITH ALL THE STRESS OF RNC AND SUBSEQUENT NEGATIVE SPOTLIGHT OF ALL PALIN’S “GATES.”
How interesting it will be if there are taped conversations with Palin or one of her kids, or even Levi–While I wish Palin’s kids the best ( they and Levi have had their parents fail them ! ! ! !) it is tempting to wish for as this most certainly could be the straw on the camels back that takes all the Palin’s out of all/any public office forever.
We need to this this sick woman out of power ! ! !
SMR (09:36:44) :
Thanks for the information on AK reporting. Every place is having newspaper problems, but it’s doubly bad if your major source is tanking. I do read CNN, Andrew Sullivan, and some AK bloggers besides AKM…
I’m with you re Palin’s family; it just gets the FREEPERS all riled up and accomplishes little. I do hope someone persues First Dud’s meddling and Levi’s apprenticeship (did it follow the rules)-
Any word on the arraignment results?
This just in from ADN:
Johnston showed up alone for her first appearance in Palmer court this morning — no lawyer, no friends or family to support her.
Johnston asked for and received a public defender, a lawyer paid for by the state. She told Palmer Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler she is in the midst of a divorce and living on medical disability payments and child support.
URL for ADN and Johnston
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/643147.html
“living on medical disability payments” — so maybe that Oxy came from a doctor. Sounds like she’s being tossed under the bus, if she hasn’t found a lawyer yet/ can’t find a way to afford one. Or maybe they’re all afraid to represent her unless ordered to by a court?
There is a press release put out by Kyle Young: Re: political influence in Sherry’s case.
http://media.adn.com/smedia/2009/01/03/19/Young_e-mail.source.prod_affiliate.7.pdf
I’ve sent to crew, web address and PDF (in case it somehow disappears)
Liz P:
The leg. has pretty much told all of us who emailed them, with a exception of a few they are not going to do anything about Troopergate, so I’ve emailed CREW about this. Doogan made “fun” of me, and I also email PEO about political corruptness in Alaska. You all can email CREW too!!! They have told me before they have their eye on Barbie. They also link with IRS.
AFT seems to dropped the ball.
Here is CREW’S email.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/about/tipline
Every time you hear about one of Barbies “gates” email them!!! Flood them with emails so someone has to take action.
Washington Post Top 10 Scandals of 2008 from CREW and Alaska scores 2!
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/36213
8. Palin’s Family Feud » When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the GOP vice-presidential candidate, her political record came under intense scrutiny, including the most controversial point during her gubernatorial term — the dismissal of the state’s police commissioner. Palin had fired Walt Monegan after unsuccessfully pushing the state’s top cop to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. “Troopergate” became a hot-button campaign issue and two independent reports released around Election Day didn’t agree on whether Palin had erred in firing Monegan.
(My thoughts) “went to my ex-brother-in-law, the trooper, who threatened to kill my dad yet was not even reprimanded by his bosses and still to this day carries a gun, of course.
— Palin, in a July 17, 2007, e-mail to Monegan, relaying a story about how a Alaska state proposal to prohibit people considered mentally ill from carrying firearms made her think of her ex-brother-in-law.
&
5. ‘Uncle Ted’ Indicted, Convicted, Loses Seat » Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was charged with accepting illegal gifts from a wealthy oil executive and was convicted of seven felonies in a federal trial in October. He vowed to fight the conviction and hold onto his seat, but the Republican icon lost re-election.
The worst that can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees, and might lose and we might have to pay a fine, might have to serve some time in jail. I hope to Christ it never gets to that…I don’t think we have done anything wrong.
— Stevens, speaking to onetime friend, wealthy oil executive Bill Allen, in a secretly-recorded phone call in October 2006 that was played during his trial.
*******
But doesn’t say if anything will be done about troopergate? I keep emailing them, and re: the Leg. refusal to do anything to Barbie, its disgusting.
Kinda crap that she was in court all alone. Everyone rushing to distance themselves from her. No support from family or friends.
Like closing the gate after the horse has bolted.
An “oxy-orphan” as it were……..
Yeah, it is sad…Now one at court to support her, not even a friend?
The bad thing is that, she was dealing my guess her own rx of oxy, and that the election played a part in all this….she was ‘allowed to carry on’, until it was over! That just galls me. It shouldn’t of mattered, one way or the other, they had all the proof, yet it was let to go on for reason’s of politic’s…That certainly was not her fault, and its unethical and not right.