Palin Disputed In Troopergate Probe

(CBS/AP)  Just when it seemed the Alaska investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of a state official might have been scuttled by the pressures of presidential politics, another turn of events has kept it going.

Palin's firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan last July, allegedly after pressure by her, her husband and staff members on Monegan to fire her ex-brother-in-law was ignored, is at the center of the investigation (known as Troopergate) into whether Palin abused her power.

Palin originally agreed to participate in the investigation, authorized in July by the Republican-controlled legislature. She told Alaskans, "Hold me accountable." Once named to the McCain ticket, however, Palin backpedaled. She has since refused to testify.

Palin has maintained that she fired Monegan not over the status of Trooper Mike Wooten, but over budget disagreements - specifically a trip Monegan planned to Washington which she said was unauthorized.

Earlier this week the McCain campaign released a series of e-mails detailing the frustration several Palin administration officials experienced in dealing with Monegan. The "last straw," the campaign said, was a trip Monegan planned in July to seek federal money for investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases.

Palin, saying she did not authorize the expenses for the travel, cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to Monegan's firing.

However, Palin's chief of staff did authorize the travel to Washington.

A travel authorization document signed by Palin's Chief of Staff Mike Nizich on June 18 approved Monegan's trip to Washington for the purpose of meeting Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The document's existence was first reported by ABC News on Friday.

Monegan told ABC that the travel authorization was explicitly to pursue funding for the anti-sexual-violence program, though the document does not state that as a reason for the trip.

McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin said Friday that the travel authorization was for a routine trip, and that state commissioners regularly travel to meet members of Alaska's congressional delegation.

"He was not authorized to lobby Congress," Griffin said.

The revelation came on the same day that several individuals subpoenaed to testify in Troopergate refused to appear as ordered.

Those who refused to answer their subpoenas (including Todd Palin, the Governor's husband; Randy Ruaro, the governor's deputy chief of staff; and aide Ivy Frye) will be referred to the full Senate for contempt, said Sen. Hollis French, who is heading the investigation.

[carlyonsue]

People are always talking about the earmarks that Sarah Palin has received for her state and criticizing her for them. But governors are elected to look out for their own state! Getting all the money that she could for her state is what she was elected to do! She was only doing her job as governor!

[carlyonsue]

Dibs977 About Ted Kennedy, a real man would NOT leave a woman to drown in a car no matter how much tragedy his family had been through!

[carlyonsue]

Dibs977 Her child is a he, not an it! He is a little boy! Also people keep calling him a "special needs" child and, granted he was born with downes syndrome, but that does not mean that he isn''t healthy! He was born with one more chromosome than the rest of us and he is more than likely developmentally delayed but for all we know that may be all. We don''t know about his health. He will probably need special education classes when he''s older but we don''t know about anything else. Also he is her child, not ours! They are all her children and their care is none of our business! Also you said that she has spent little time with her baby. That is not true! Her younger children have been traveling with her everywhere she goes! Also there is one thing that she did tell the truth about. She said that you can see Russia from an island off the coast of Alaska and that is TRUE!. She did NOT say that she can see it from her house! Also people keep saying that she got her hometown Wasilla millions of dollars in debt! That is NOT TRUE! Wasilla is in debt because they VOTED for the sports complex! They could have voted against it! Therefore NO ONE can be blamed for their debt except the people of Wasilla themselves!

[carlyonsue]

There is no proof that Sarah Palin even knew about this document. She didn''t sign it! Her chief of staff did! Her office is probably like most other governors offices. There are many documents that pass through her office that she never sees and is not told about. This is just another part of the smear campaign that the democrats and the Obama campaign and the news medias are waging against her! I hope the public sees this for what it really is!

[sjw1253]

This is very interesting as I just finished reading an article on CNN about Wasila charging rape victims up to $1000 for rape kits...

Additionally, Alaska has multiple times the number of violent crimes toward women than any other state. It sounds to me that the Public Safety Commisioner who she fired citing this as "the last straw" was more concerned about the safety of women than Ms. Palin...

Coupled with her stated feelings (or should I say non-feelings) toward rape victims when it comes to making them bear the child of a rapist - it really does solidify the concerns that Ms. Palin could care less for women''s issues...

The more we learn about her the more we don''t like...

No wonder they keep attacking when anyone finds out anything about her ... They know she is a time bomb waiting to explode and fizzle McCain''s chances to win this election...

I have never in my life seen such blatant cover-ups for a candidate. Can they be any more obvious???

This is really scary when you think about it - how the Obama team can influence and squash an investigation that needs to be performed before the November election...

[kansas1946]

Palin, saying she did not authorize the expenses for the travel, cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to Monegan''s firing.

However, Palin''s chief of staff did authorize the travel to Washington.

A travel authorization document signed by Palin''s Chief of Staff Mike Nizich on June 18 approved Monegan''s trip to Washington for the purpose of meeting Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

****************************************

Well, either Palin is lying or she didn''t know what was going on in her own administration, which would be amazing in the climate in which this "unauthorized" trip supposedly took place. With all that was going on with Monegan at that time, I am sure her chief of staff wouldn''t have authorized anything without Palin''s permission. This whole thing stinks, in fact almost everything we hear about this woman is a bit questionable. But hey, if honesty and integrity doesn''t matter, then vote for her.

[boudica13]

Palin couldn''t answer any straight questions. She doesn''t know any answers. She is an idiot and her running mate is a loser also. Take America back from the thieves, mass murderers, liars, posers out of government and let''s get back to being the great nation we once were. The repugs are a disgrace and there are some so called Americans who fit that bill also. I''m tired of being hated all over the world. We need the minds of the 1960s back, of this age of course. But we must make a change, a complete change. And you repugs out there you''ve gotten just what you let happen to you these last 8 years. Keep it up, before you know it we will be at war with each other.
Wake up America.

[dburfears]

"Disputed"?

CBS'' way of saying "LIED".

[dibs977]

But she bragged so BIG about stopping the Bridge to No-where---like she was so great and everyone else was so stupid and corrupt. And then she kept the money anyway and she had initially supported it. She acted like we were all going to bow down and wave palm branches at her feet. Did she not think that the details of the Bridge would come out? Did she think we were all so stupid? One thing I learned about stupid people is that they think everyone else is as stupid as they are. Maybe she thought she could use some of her well-known bully tactics. How did this woman get to be governor---much less a VP candidate? The rest of the world is laughing at us for even having such a "piece of nothing" as a VP candidate---and a crooked "piece of nothing" to boot. And McCain has shown poor judgement to pick her---and displayed a reckless nature---which probably was good and needed as a Navy Pilot---but shows that he does not have the wisdom to be President.

[dibs977]

Palin---the woman has no shame. She has a child with special needs but has spent little time with it---she has a pregnant unmarried teenage daughter whom she has paraded before the world---she has a husband who avoid subpoenas---she is caught red-handed in many lies etc. etc. and yet she just keeps going around waving like she is Queen of the World.