ANCHORAGE — Gov. Sarah Palin's chief of staff authorized former Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to travel to Washington, although the governor has cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to his firing.
Monegan is the central figure in the investigation into whether Palin abused her power when she fired him. Monegan alleges he was fired because he refused to terminate a state trooper who was involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister. Palin says he was fired because of insubordination on budget issues.
A legislative committee voted July 24 to investigate the dispute, and Palin initially welcomed it. But after she was picked as Sen. John McCain's running mate on the GOP presidential ticket a month later, she reversed herself. The campaign sent a team of operatives to Alaska to coordinate any information that's released.
The investigation will be finished before the election, despite refusals by key witnesses to testify, including the Palin's husband, Todd, the legislator heading the inquiry said Friday.
After waiting 35 minutes for Todd Palin and two state administrative employees to appear under subpoena before the state Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Hollis French condemned their refusal to testify and accused the attorney general of breaking a promise by vowing that seven other witnesses who were not subpoenaed would testify.
French, a Democrat, said the retired prosecutor hired by the Alaska Legislature to investigate Palin, Stephen Branchflower, would conclude his investigation by Oct. 10. Still, that report will not include testimony from the Republican vice presidential nominee, her husband or most of the top aides Branchflower hoped to interview.
Sarah Palin's allies hoped the investigation would be delayed past the election to spare her any troublesome revelations, or at least the distraction, during the campaign. Palin's reputation as a clean-government advocate who takes on entrenched interests is central to her appeal as McCain's running mate, and possibly at risk in the inquiry.
The McCain-Palin campaign said there were concerns about the effect of political influence on the Legislature's inquiry and that the governor would provide any information needed to a separate investigation by the Alaska State Personnel Board, which consists of three Republican appointees.
