JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Anchorage
Democratic Senator Hollis French says he’s close to hiring someone to
investigate whether Governor Palin abused her power in firing former
Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
French says the hiring will be done within a week.
The Legislative Council backed him by approving $100,000 for the investigator.
The council is made up of 7 members of the House and Senate each.
The group wants to find out whether Palin dismissed Monegan for not
firing an Alaska State Trooper who went through a messy divorce with
Palin’s sister.
French serves as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman.
He says the investigation should be complete within a few months.
more:
JUNEAU — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says a
recently discovered conversation recording one of her staffers
pressuring the Department of Public Safety to fire a state trooper who
went through a bitter divorce with her sister will be turned over to a
legislative investigator.
Palin has been under heavy criticism since firing former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Monegan claims he felt pressured by Palin’s
family and administration to fire Trooper Mike Wooten, who divorced
Palin’s sister and has had ongoing child custody battles.
Palin Wednesday acknowledged a conversation
was recorded when Frank Bailey, her director of boards and commissions,
called a trooper station complaining about Wooten.
She says she never asked Bailey to make the
call, even though she says the recording may sound like Bailey was
acting on her behalf.
The legislature is investigating Monegan’s firing and whether Palin abused her power.
In
1984, Palin was second-place in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant after
winning the Miss Wasilla contest earlier that year, winning a
scholarship to help pay her way through college.[5] In the Wasilla
pageant, she played the flute and also won Miss Congeniality. Oh, and
she’s McCain’s running mate.
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