Alaska lawmakers subpoena Palin's husband
- 00:02:10
- ITN
Alaska lawmakers subpoena Palin's husband
Alaska lawmakers have voted to issue subpoenas to Governor Sarah Palin's husband and 12 others as part of an investigation into whether she abused her power to fire a state trooper feuding with her family. An Alaskan legislative committee is looking into whether Mrs Palin's dismissal of the public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, was retaliation for his refusal to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had been involved in a contentious divorce and custody battle with the governor's sister. An Alaska legislative committee voted 3-2 to issue 14 subpoenas in all, including one to Todd Palin, 12 to the other individuals and one to a local telephone company for records of calls made by one of the governor's aides. The vote came on the recommendation of Steve Branchflower, a retired state prosecutor hired by legislators to investigate Mr Monegan's dismissal. "There is a risk that if subpoenas are not issued, there might be some other problem that will forestall the investigation," said Mr Branchflower, who recommended against a subpoena for the governor, because he was confident that she would submit to a voluntary interview. Earlier this summer, Mrs Palin pledged to cooperate with the legislature's investigation, but after she was selected as Senator John McCain's presidential running mate, several Palin staffers have refused to give testimony to Mr Branchflower. Mrs Palin's personal attorney and attorneys with the state Department of Law, acting on behalf of the governor's office, have recently challenged the investigation's legality. Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell said he was disappointed by how the investigation is being used to score political points against Mrs Palin and questioned the independence of Mr Branchflower. "Arbitrary deadlines, inappropriate public comments and secret deals ... have turned this process into a complete farce," Governor Parnell said in a statement distributed by the McCain campaign.
ITN | September 13, 2008
