Alaska "Troopergate" Subpoenas Approved

State Lawmakers Vote To Subpoena Todd Palin, 12 Others

(AP)  Alaska lawmakers voted Friday to subpoena the husband of Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, in a move that transformed a messy state personnel issue into a national campaign controversy.

The lawmakers acted at the request of Stephen Branchflower, who is in the midst of an investigation into the governor's dismissal of the state's director of public safety.

Branchflower said he also wants to interview the governor, but omitted her from the 13-person list of subpoena targets he presented to the lawmakers overseeing his investigation.

Branchflower said Todd Palin is "such a central figure. ... I think one should be issued for him."

Thomas Van Flein, a private attorney hired to represent the governor, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Two Democrats and one Republican voted for the subpoenas, rejecting attempts by the other two Republicans on the panel to delay them until after the November election.

Sen. Charlie Huggins, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla, appeared in camouflage pants on a short break from moose hunting to cast his vote. He lamented the political maneuvering that he saw as trying to interfere with the investigation.

"I see all this duck-foot action under the water," Huggins said. "Let's just get the facts on the table.

The Legislature hired Branchflower to examine whether Palin ousted her public safety commissioner in July because he had refused to fire state trooper Mike Wooten. Wooten went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister, and the investigation essentially is looking at whether Palin used her power to try to settle a personal score.

One member of Palin's administration was caught on tape discussing personal information about Wooten, raising questions of how he knew those details.

The investigation - known as "Troopergate" - began before Palin was chosen as Sen. John McCain's running mate. Since then, Palin's supporters have argued that the investigation is politically motivated, and urged lawmakers to turn the matter over to the three-member State Personnel Board, which is appointed by the governor and charged with handling ethics complaints.

Palin has said she fired the commissioner, Walt Monegan, over disagreements about budget priorities. Monegan says he received repeated e-mails and phone calls from Palin, her husband and her staff expressing dismay over Wooten's continued employment.

Branchflower also asked for a subpoena for the phone records of one Palin administration official, Frank Bailey. Bailey was recorded calling an Alaska State Trooper lieutenant and discussing confidential information about Wooten, including his job application and worker's compensation claim. In a deposition taken by Palin's attorney, he testified that he never saw Wooten's file, but instead received the information from Todd Palin.

[femaledem]

hey kshubak..McPalin camp just received $84.1 million dollars from the federal treasury per the federal election commission!!!!

[femaledem]

OK PEOPLE LISTEN UP!! FIRST THIS IS FOR KSHUBAK- absurd that obama received $66 million, how''s this for absurdity..CINDY MCCAIN WORE AN OUTFIT AT THE LAST DAY OF THE CONVENTION THAT WAS WORTH $300,000!!!!! pLUS THEY OWN 7 THAT''S RIGHT 7 HOMES PLUS PALIN HAS KEPT EVERY SINGLE PENNY OF EAR MARKS FOR ALASKA, thanks in part to Ted Stevens (currently under indictment) PLUS palins husband Todd should receive a subpoena BECAUSE NOW READ THIS CAREFULLY He sits in on most every policy making meeting/in fact just about any meeting PLUS if he doesn''t attend he is copied as to what went on !!! So let me see I think that would make him aware of the inner workings of Palins office!!Palin has the nerve to say she makes the decisions,spare me!! Do any of you really think he is MR.MOM ..DO YOU REALLY THINK HE SITS HOME WHILE SHE IS FLITTING AROUND THE COUNTRY...NOT!!!!

[kshubak]

I mean, c''''''''mon people $66 MILLION dollars in one month! That would crater even the big banks to put out that much money in one month.

I mean, you DO realize that his campaigns have received over $300 MILLION dollars since January! That''''s over a quarter of a billion dollars. Supposedly have been pulled out of American banks for Obama''''s campaign.

Doesn''''t anybody else but me see how ABSURD this is?

Then you underestimate the power of THE PEOPLE.

[texannodnc]

I mean, c''''mon people $66 MILLION dollars in one month! That would crater even the big banks to put out that much money in one month.

I mean, you DO realize that his campaigns have received over $300 MILLION dollars since January! That''s over a quarter of a billion dollars. Supposedly have been pulled out of American banks for Obama''s campaign.

Doesn''t anybody else but me see how ABSURD this is?

[texannodnc]

I mean, c''mon people $66 MILLION dollars in one month! That would crater even the big banks to put out that much money in one month.

[texannodnc]

Doesn''''t anybody else find it rather weird that according to the democraps Americans are just flat broke, down and out, no resources left whatsoever, banks are failing all over the place, the economy supposedly on the blitz....and.....

Obama gets $66 MILLION dollars in ONE MONTH???

Hahahahahahahaa!

Now where the HELL do you suppose he''''s getting it?

We KNOW it''''s not from Americans, not a person or even a bank can afford it?

So his corrupt Muslim friends are bankrolling him...and they''''re making up names to put on the donor list.

Wonder what cemetary he''s getting the names out of...or how many state''s Bureau of Vital Statistics lists have they hacked to get names?

[texannodnc]

Doesn''t anybody else find it rather weird that according to the democraps Americans are just flat broke, down and out, no resources left whatsoever, banks are failing all over the place, the economy supposedly on the blitz....and.....

Obama gets $66 MILLION dollars in ONE MONTH???

Hahahahahahahaa!

Now where the HELL do you suppose he''s getting it?

We KNOW it''s not from Americans, not a person or even a bank can afford it?

So his corrupt Muslim friends are bankrolling him...and they''re making up names to put on the donor list.

[mrsyem]

This whole thing is so obvious, only a moron couldn''t see what''s going on. The "independent" investigator reports to two Obama endorsers who actively campaign for him. This is supposed to convince us that Gov. Palin is corrupt?

Same old politics as usual. But it''s not coming from the Republicans. It''s a pathetic attempt to make a Chicago politician look good. When I left Chicago, I decided I would never again live anywhere where this kind of corruption flourished. Trust me, you don''t want the Chicago machine in the White House.

Signed, a lifelong (but no more) Democrat.

[biasedpress]

Troopergate is a democratic/Obama campaign influenced, and financed witch hunt. FACT Monegan already stated that neither Palin, nor her husband ever asked him to fire the trooper. And the liberal media continues to push this story without including the Obama campaign connection.

[biasedpress]

Who here is absolutely fed up with seeing nothing but 5 headlines of smears on Sarah Palin and John McCain on every media political page website every day, while the real SHAM Obama gets free pass after free pass? I have never seen such a disgusting display of media bias in my life. I hope that that the people of this country realize that this is an all propaganda smear campaign on the McCain Palin ticket by the liberal run media, who are doing everything in their power , from playing the race card to flat out lying to get the unqualified Obama elected .

[ezeani]

the classic saying that "those the gods want to destroy,they first make mad" is heavily at play in the american society.you have a weak standing in the world,you are getting desperately close to a bastardised economy,all manners of natural disasters are visiting you,most of your citizens dont have a job and cant pay their bill,and the only thing close to hope you have is a black man called Obama, but due to your racist upbringing albiet a psychological defect in your makeup, you abjectly trade off your survival for more madness! I have always known that God does things in a strange way to highlight the madness in men,but this will be really interesting to see whether Americans would take the bait from the devil and vote for Mcain in an election were they have very glaring choices. vote for Mcain and die or vote for Obama and have another chance. we have seen that they are stubborn even when told to evacuate or die fron the wrath of Ike. we will see how they make these stark choices !

[andor3]

Palin is handing the election to the Dems... thanks Sarah! First she made John McCain look old and second-fiddle. Now the more she talks, the more Republican voters she scares away. The Republicans now see time is not on their side...

[xpineapple]

The Democrats are running out of time on this and have a big problem with it. Trying to crucify her on this is like losing the Hillary vote all over again. And what is the verdict? But it''s not a court of law...it''s the court of public opinion...and obviously, this is a politically charged court of public opinion.

[texannodnc]

Posted by TexanNoDNC at 05:30 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Any of your friends would screech. But I doubt that the majority of people overseas (or even in America) would want a continuation of what we have all experienced for the past 8 years.


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Posted by ofbyfor2 at 05:36 PM : Sep 14, 2008

She''s evidently screeching about something she doesn''t like...and I wouldn''t either! If some numb nut tried to tell me I had to have my hair covered, I''d tell them to move back to their own country that demanded such stupid idiocy...and then I''d punch his lights out!

[ofbyfor2]

Posted by TexanNoDNC at 05:30 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Any of your friends would screech. But I doubt that the majority of people overseas (or even in America) would want a continuation of what we have all experienced for the past 8 years.

[texannodnc]

He%u2019s begun to sound dated. Last week, for example, he devoted valuable campaign days %u2014 less than two months remain %u2014 into explaining a silly %u201Clipstick on a pig%u201D line. The McCain campaign had reacted, accusing him of making the reference to Palin. %u201CI don%u2019t care what they say about me,%u201D Obama responded. %u201CBut I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and %u2018Swiftboat politics.%u2019 Enough is enough,%u201D he said. (The Swiftboat reference is from the 2004 campaign of John Kerry). [snip]

Obama has the habit, too, of reminding voters of their doubts about him, as he did in reminding a Detroit audience that he%u2019s been accused of being less interested in protecting you from terrorists than reading them their rights. And, when he professes love of country as his basis for refusing to allow the McCain campaign to attack his words, he raises questions about why he finds the affirmation of love necessary.

[texannodnc]

I think she sniffs glue.

Posted by melchg at 05:13 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Notice how she always runs when you post something that she can''''t deal with?


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Posted by ofbyfor2 at 05:24 PM : Sep 14, 2008


Hahahahaha! Not running, been chatting with my friends from England who are screeching..."Don''t let the Muslims move in and take your neighborhoods over like ours have! We can''t even walk in our own neighborhood without being harrassed because our freaking hair is not covered! Don''t let Obama do this to YOUR COUNTRY!"

lmao!!!! I told her, don''t worry, he''ll never get a vote of mine.

[ofbyfor2]

TexanNoDNC is a paid-per-post McCain shill.

[ofbyfor2]

I think she sniffs glue.

Posted by melchg at 05:13 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Notice how she always runs when you post something that she can''t deal with?

[ofbyfor2]

....again, I''''''''''''''''ll swun!

Posted by TexanNoDNC at 02:04 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Hey, moron, it''''''''s spelled ''''''''swoon''''''''. Where did you get your education?


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Posted by ofbyfor2 at 04:04 PM : Sep 14, 2008

No it''''s not, it''''s a Texas euphamism for I''''ll swear!! *******...

Posted by TexanNoDNC at 04:09 PM : Sep 14, 2008

Just another excuse for ''dumba$$''.