Today the independent expert on the Ministerial Code, James Hamilton QC, ruled that Ms Sturgeon did not break the ministerial code - the rules government ministers operate under.
Another report - by a parliamentary committee - will be published tomorrow. Its key finding, that Ms Sturgeon did not give an accurate account to the committee, can be dismissed by her as partisan - especially as that finding was leaked to the media last week. With the findings of the Independent Hamilton inquiry in her hand, she now has the means to face down those demands, and lead the SNP into elections for the Scottish parliament in May. And that election may well be crucial for the future of the United Kingdom.
And the difference between emerging once again as the biggest force in Scottish politics, or not, could be the public's perception of Nicola Sturgeon. Which is why the main opposition Conservative Party has every interest in hitting her hard over the Salmond affair. As do the other unionist parties, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
While Ms Sturgeon, in the midst of an election campaign, can try and tough out a committee report she has already dismissed as flawed by partisanship, she could not have so easily dismissed an adverse finding by James Hamilton. IN 2013 he was appointed by Alex Salmond to be the independent expert to examine potential breaches of the ministerial code. He investigated six claims against Alex Salmond, ruling in favour of the first minister in all of them.
The complaints were made after Ms Sturgeon asked for new government policies on sexual harassment to be put in place in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Mr Salmond believed the policy was aimed at him. Mr Salmond was cleared of all 13 charges - which were alleged to have happened while he was first minister - after a trial last March.
seanwhelanRTE Predictable RTE anti-UK nonsense. Even if Boris granted Indyref2 (unlikely) and even if the SNP won it (very unlikely) Scotland does not meet the requirements for joining the Euro and the last thing the EU want to do is spend another 4 years negotiating borders around the UK.