http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-palin5-2009jul05,0,7018263.story
July 5, 2009
The Los Angeles Times
Sarah Palin not under FBI investigation, agency spokesman says
The former GOP vice presidential candidate's surprise resignation as
Alaska governor had set off speculation, including rumors of a pending
federal corruption probe or charges.
By Josh Meyer
Reporting from Washington -- A day after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
resigned, a federal official in her home state dismissed one potential
explanation for her sudden and unexpected resignation: a rumored FBI
investigation into the former Wasilla mayor on public corruption
charges.
Despite rumors of a looming controversy after the Republican governor's
surprise announcement Friday that she would leave office this month,
some of them published in the blogosphere, the FBI's Alaska spokesman
said the bureau had no investigation into Palin for her activities as
governor, as mayor or in any other capacity.
"There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we're investigating
her or getting ready to indict her," Special Agent Eric Gonzalez said
in a phone interview Saturday. "It's just not true." He added that
there was "no wiggle room" in his comments for any kind of inquiry.
The FBI has been active in mounting corruption investigations in
Alaska, some to see whether local, state and federal lawmakers
illegally received favors, money or free construction work from
businesses or people seeking favors.
The most high-profile case was against former Republican Sen. Ted
Stevens, whose conviction last year on charges of lying on Senate
ethics forms stemmed from charges that a politically connected
developer had done work on his house illegally.
The Obama administration Justice Department threw out the charges in
April, saying prosecutors had failed to turn over potentially helpful
information to Stevens' defense team. Some bloggers have speculated
that such an FBI investigation was underway on Palin, who still had 18
months left in her term.
Also Saturday, the former GOP vice presidential nominee posted a
statement on her Facebook page, not offering specifics but indicating
that she had broad goals after she leaves the governor's office.
She did not say whether she planned to run for president in 2012, but
criticized media coverage of her announcement.
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Michael