Alaska lawmakers OK Palin probe

JUNEAU, Alaska – Alaska lawmakers Monday approved an investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power in firing former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

The Legislative Council, which is made up of seven members each from the House and Senate, approved $100,000 for the investigation that is expected to take place over the next several months.

Lawmakers have long said they understand that Monegan and other commissioners serve at will, meaning they can be fired by Palin at any time. But they want to find out whether Palin was angry at Monegan for not firing an Alaska state trooper who went through a messy divorce and ongoing child custody battles with Palin’s sister.

Sen. Hollis French, an Anchorage Democrat who serves as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, is in charge of hiring an investigator.

“The object is to find someone with no connections to either party, no connection to the pro governor or the anti governor side, someone who doesn’t have any biases,” French said.

It’s the first political backlash against Palin, who ran for governor two years ago on an ethics reform platform. The state Legislature has been rocked by its own problems, including federal corruption indictments against one sitting member and four former members.

Palin is a Sandpoint native.