Writes Jim Geraghty at NRO's "The Campaign Spot:"Newsweek makes a big stink out of a judge telling then-private citizen Sarah Palin not to "disparage" the reputation of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was undergoing a bitter separation and divorce from Palin's sister Molly.
The first warning from the judge came in October 2005. By this point, according to the sister’s petition to the court, her husband had committed “extreme verbal abuse, violent threats, physical intimidation… driven drunk multiple times, threatened her father, and told her to 'put a leash on your sister and family or I'm going to bring them down.'” State police officials deemed her complaint serious enough to require Wooten to give up his department-issued guns, badge, credentials and vehicle during his off-duty time, while her simultaneous domestic violence protective order was in effect. Also, by this point Wooten had already used a Taser on his 11-year-old stepson, at the boy’s request, and over his mother’s objection. (This incident was confirmed by the State Police investigation.)
Apparently, Palin was to speak well of Wooten, at that point approaching his fourth divorce.
Now… Palin critics will assert that she and her entire family are all lying, and the State Police investigators were in on the vast Palin-wing conspiracy. But if this had happened to a member of your family, how likely is it that you would say something “disparaging” about the figure in question? And how would you respond to a judge who insisted you avoid speaking critically of the man who Tasered your nephew?
