Sarah Palin Fund Unlawful, Investigator Says

‘Supporters of Sarah Palin have 90 days to return nearly $400,000 in donations raised by her legal defense trust after an investigator ruled the fund ran afoul of state ethics laws,’ according to CNN.

CNN reports:

The defense fund – established in April 2009 when Palin was governor of Alaska – was deemed unlawful because organizers used the word “official” to describe the fund on its website and appointed a public employee with ties to Palin to serve as its trustee.

“The Trust, and its website soliciting donations, if the funds were to be accepted by Governor Palin, would violate the Ethics Act by using the Governor’s official position for personal gain,” Tim Petumenos, the Anchorage attorney hired to investigate the matter, concluded Thursday in his report.

Specifically, Petumenos was concerned that calling the trust “official” and appointing an employee of the state to administer it gave the fund the appearance it was sponsored by the state of Alaska.

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