Nine days ago, we explored whether Governor Sarah Palin had knowingly made false accusations against Alaskan State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was in a bitter custody battle with Governor Palin’s sister, Molly McCann. Based on the public records available by internet, our conclusion was that we couldn’t reach a conclusion.
Naturally, we were attacked from both sides, both Democrats and Republicans, as if we had a partisan agenda, which we do not.
A new story in Newsweek sheds unfavorable light on the actions of Governor Palin.
Court records show that Judge John Suddock was concerned about persistent attacks on Trooper Wooten by Palin and members of her family. The Judge told them in October, 2005 (when Palin was still a private citizen), “Disparaging will not be toleratedâ€â€Âit is a form of child abuse.â€ÂÂ
According to Newsweek, Judge Suddock “continued to express concern about attacks by Palin’s family on Wooten†in an order signed January 31, 2006. The Judge was sufficiently concerned about the on-going attacks that he warned of a possible change in custody from mother to father if the attacks continued. He wrote, “if the court finds it is necessary due to disparagement…it [the court] will not hesitate to order custody to the father…†The Judge’s order also said that he would pay special attention to “the disparagement of the father by the mother and her family members.â€ÂÂ
Governor Palin and her husband Todd continued to attack Wooten’s character even after she became Governor. Court tapes have Judge Suddock saying, “It appears for the world that Ms. McCann and her family have decided to take off for the guy’s livelihoodâ€â€Âthat the bitterness of whatever who did what to whom has overridden good judgment.â€ÂÂ
Also, John Cyr, the Head of the Public Safety Employee’s Association in Alaska has been quoted as saying, “I made the case that I thought they [a string of complaints against Wooten] were groundless, that the Department was involving itself in a personal matter. She [Col. Julia Grimes, the head of the State Troopers] asked me if I wanted to call Sarah Palin a liar publicly and I said sure, I’ll have a press conference; I don’t mind telling people what I believe to be true.â€ÂÂ
In summary, we still do not know whether Governor Palin knowingly made false accusations against Trooper Wooten. But it is clear that she and her family persistently attacked the Trooper’s reputation over a period of at least three years, during which the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Public Safety Employee’s Association, and the Court had all found that most of the accusations were unsupported.
Please keep in mind that Fathers & Families is resolutely non-partisan. We are reporting the facts to the best of our ability. We are neither for nor against Governor Palin’s candidacy. And remember that one week ago, we posted a column entitled “Biden Selection is Bad News for America’s Fathers.”
Dr. Ned Holstein, M.D, M.S.
Chair of the Board and Founder, Fathers & Families
Ned is a divorced father of two adult children and is the custodial parent of his third child, a senior in college. Ned graduated from Harvard College, then obtained a Masters degree from M.I.T. before attending Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He next trained at what was then Boston City Hospital. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai and is a nationally recognized expert in his field. He lives in Auburndale.
