7 Palin aides to testify in abuse-of-power probe

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Seven aides to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have reversed course and agreed to testify in an investigation into whether the Republican vice presidential nominee abused her powers by firing a commissioner who refused to dismiss her former brother-in-law.

There is no indication, however, that Palin or her husband will now agree to testify in the legislative inquiry, which has dogged her for the past several months and could hurt John McCain in the final weeks of the presidential race.

Palin, a first-term governor, is the focus of a legislative investigation into her firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan a year after she, her husband and key advisers began questioning him about getting rid of a state trooper who had gone through a nasty divorce with her sister.

Monegan says he was dismissed because he wouldn't fire the governor's former brother-in-law, but Palin contends he was dismissed for insubordination. McCain operatives called Monegan a "rogue" who repeatedly tried to work outside normal channels for requesting money.

Lawmakers subpoenaed seven state employees to testify in the inquiry but they challenged those subpoenas. After a judge rejected that challenge last week, the employees decided to testify, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg said.

Democratic state Sen. Hollis French, who is managing the investigation, said that, following the court ruling, he again asked Palin and her husband, Todd, whether they planned to testify.

"We've had no response," French said Sunday.

Palin says the legislative inquiry has become too political and she believes that only the state's personnel board should investigate the firing. Todd Palin has agreed to speak with investigators for that panel but not for the legislative inquiry.

The governor has the authority to fire the members of the personnel board.

Alaska's Supreme Court, meanwhile, is considering whether to block the findings of the legislative inquiry. The high court scheduled arguments for Wednesday over whether the case is being manipulated to hurt Palin before Election Day on Nov. 4.

The decision by the state employees to testify will not affect that appeal, said Kevin Clarkson, a lawyer for five Republican lawmakers who brought that challenge.

The independent investigator conducting the probe plans to turn over his conclusions on the case by next Friday to the Legislative Council, the body that authorized it.

Comments

[lafenatpalin]

I'm sorry, she deserves everything she gets. And a BIG high five to Newsweek on her photo. You guys did an awesome job! Since she wants to be known as regular "folk", glad you left her mustache!!! hahaha. She is an ugly old hag!! She needs to go back to Alaska, cause she royally sucks &^%!!! Go home!!!

[nivekabsurdo]

How can a legal inquiry be manipulated to hurt Palin? If there was wrongdoing we need to know about it before the election and if not then she has nothing to worry about. If anyone is manipulating anything it is the Alaskan Supreme Court.

[Ziblanksi]

When I see the sentence, 'McCain operatives called Monegan a "rogue" ' I can't help but thinking that if Monegan were on their side, he would instead be termed as a "maverick." Anyone here disagree?

[JayeSF]

um....did the mccain camp ever have a grasp of the phrase "vetting process"...?????

[ebanks84]

I will laugh my a^s off the day she is convicted. There will be merriment all over the country on that day and I hope McCain is right there when it happens.

[doctordoubt]

He'll be clappiong and making sounds like he did after the debate. 'How about the Sarah barracuda?' Kinda sad, really.

[GingersPawPaws]

not be be a smart a^^ but how can she be convicted and for what?

[Dodge]

SARAH PALIN SHOULD SURRENDER HER PASSPORT!

Before Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's abuse of power investigation report is released, the defendant Palin, should surrender her passport before she defects to "OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTRY AFGHANISTAN".

[pennsykid2000]

Can a VP be impeached before taking office? If disaster strikes and she and McCain are elected, she may be spending Inauguration Day in the slammer. Maybe she can take the oath of office by closed circuit TV.

[wmary82]

he,he,he

[Kiabell04]

If she gets off, you know the McCain is going to celebrate and claim this was a smear campaign by Democrats. I truly hope she is found guilty. I have no sympathy for her, but I do have sympathy for her children.

[reasoned]

Does anybody know? If she is found guilty of abuse of power, is the next step to impeach or indict Governor Palin?

[Brokerhenry]

The Alaskan constitution is very clear on what is to follow. It states that any official that violates the states ethics, laws and regulation may be impeached at the discretion of the legislature. So, if the legislature wants to be tough about this, the law is on their side.

[Girlmec]

She would have to be found guilty of the charges, which means an indictment on the crimes would occur. Then motions for an impeachment would most likely follow.

Keep in mind, this is just an investigation (preliminary) to find out if there is any reason to go further and charge anyone (including Palin) for criminal charges.

First one...then the other.

[seabass]

You're going down you ugly bit**!

[Ozarks]

It is my understanding that her 2006 and 2007 tax filings released Friday do not identify all that per diem she collected for transporting her family around with her. Tax law says family per diem is taxable so she may have filed illegal tax returns.

[ron071]

SARAH is short on job experience but long on corruption. So much foul play in so short a time. She is really a miracle maverick. She is probably the worst vp candidate in recent history and makes Quayle look presidential.

[Gobo56]

When John McCain firtst picked Palin and we were hearing the details about her for the first time I thought to myself "why would a woman with a 4 month old Downs child and 4 other children want to throw herself into this crazy race" Then it hit me. They made a deal with her that if she accepted they would make this troopergate thing go away. Bingo!

[BassMent]

Look, I'm no politician, but I would think that a major lesson from Politics 101 would be, "Do not, through your own actions, turn an insignificant negative into a big negative."

If Sarah and Todd had gotten themselves deposed shortly after she knew she was going to be the VP candidate, this whole thing would have vanished beneath all of the hubbub about moose burgers and pitbulls. Instead, the Palins decided to make something out of nothing by calling public attention to it.

When I read that Sarah had FILED AN ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST HERSELF, I knew she was finished as a credible candidate for VP. The idea here was that if she could move the investigation out of the AK legislature (70% are her lapdogs) and into the AK Personnel Board (100% are her lapdogs, since she appointed them all), that she could get the thing buried. In the meantime, she and Todd would just say "Fu@k you" to the legislature's subpoenas.

Now that the investigation is not only continuing, but will conclude in a week or so WITH the cooperation of Palin aides who had formerly joined the chorus of "Fu@k yous," this whole mess is going to dominate the news cycle for a week... not just the original offense (which is probably borderline unethical, but certainly not illegal), but all of the serpentine, oily legal maneuvering since, and especially the imperial dismissal of the requirement to be accountable to the people who elected you (cf. GWB).

[Provit2me]

Palin and her husband (both) have refused an AMERICAN - court order, a US Government subpoena, a Legal document. This says 2 things to me: 1. Bush administration and 2. Jail - If anyone of us, anyone of us said NO to a court order, a subpoena, we would be in jail not on a soap-box telling people how unpatriotic Obama and Biden are.