Palin aide cleared of ethics complaint

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 24 (UPI) -- The Alaska attorney general found an aide to Gov. Sarah Palin did not violate ethics by doing political work on state time during the presidential campaign.

Palin's office announced Tuesday the complaint against Kris Perry, who heads the governor's office in Anchorage, had been dismissed, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The governor's office said the state has spent "millions of dollars" pursuing ethics complaints against Palin and her staff. The governor agreed to reimburse the treasury $8,143 for travel expenses for her children, but her office said 14 other complaints were dismissed.

The attorney general's office said Perry accompanied Palin while she was campaigning for vice president and also making appearances in Georgia for U.S. Sen. Saxbe Chambliss to help the governor with her state duties. A statement said there was no evidence "suggesting that Perry misused her state time in any substantial way or did not intend to benefit the public interest when accompanying the governor on her trips."

The complaint against Perry was made by Andree McLeod, a political activist in Anchorage.