Alaska AG proposes sweeping changes to ethics law

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska’s attorney general is recommending sweeping changes to state ethics law and the process of dealing with complaints against public officials, following multiple complaints against former Gov. Sarah Palin that she cited as a reason for leaving office.

Attorney General Daniel Sullivan said Wednesday the changes, which would apply only to the state’s administrative branch, would discourage abuse of the law. His opinion comes two weeks after an ethics investigator’s confidential report on a complaint against Palin was leaked to The Associated Press.

Palin left office last month in part because of the toll of the nearly 20 complaints filed against her. Almost all of those complaints were dismissed, but she says she amassed more than $500,000 in legal fees.

Among other changes, Sullivan recommends that officials exonerated in ethics proceedings be reimbursed by the state. He also suggests ordering payment of fees and costs by people who knowingly file false complaints.

He said Palin would not be eligible for reimbursement for past investigations under his recommendations, most of which would require legislative action.

Sullivan, appointed by Palin in her last weeks as governor, declined to address specific complaints, saying his opinion focuses on the structure of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act and what other states have done to address ethics issues.

But he singled out the leak of the confidential report, saying it was made public at a “very, very sensitive stage” that was not reported accurately by many news accounts. The July 14 report investigated a complaint alleging Palin had misused her office for personal gain.

It recommended that the then-governor refuse money from a legal defense fund set up by supporters and that she withdraw her authorization of it as her “official” defense fund. The investigator, an independent Anchorage attorney, said the report was final but that there was room for negotiations with Palin representatives before a settlement was reached.

“What was going on was the actual looking at possibilities of settling or resolving potential ethics act violations, but certainly no conclusion in that regard,” Sullivan said.

Ethics complaints filed against administrative officials are confidential unless that confidentiality is waived by the accused, or the investigation leads to formal proceedings. However, there are no penalties in state law for confidentiality breaches by complainants, and most of the grievances against Palin were announced to the press by the filers.

Sullivan’s opinion recommends no sanctions for such breaches, but legislation already is in the works to that end. State Rep. Bob Lynn said he plans to introduce a bill that would impose the same confidentiality rule for governors and their staffs that is applied to ethics complaints against state lawmakers: Complaints discussed publicly would be subject to dismissal.