Alaska probe seeks subpoenas as Palin halts cooperation

ANCHORAGE -- A few months ago, before she was selected as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin promised complete cooperation in the legislature's investigation into whether she improperly fired her public safety director.

How things have changed.

A joint legislative committee Friday voted to subpoena Palin's husband, Todd Palin, and a dozen others as part of its probe into whether the Alaska governor used her office to settle a personal score.

Lawmakers took that step because several members of Palin's administration in recent days canceled interviews with the legislature's investigator, former prosecutor Stephen Branchflower. In a statement, Palin's second in command, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, called the investigation a "complete farce."

"I'm disappointed by the complete hijacking of what should be a fair and objective process," Parnell said. "It is troubling to see partisan Democrats and Obama supporters abuse their power, the legal system and trust of Alaskans to smear Governor Palin to score political points."

Democrats and Republicans on the committee hotly disputed that. While one Republican sought to delay the subpoenas and another voiced opposition to them, other Republicans said the investigation should go forward.

"I do not support Sen. Obama," said Sen. Charlie Huggins, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla, who was wearing camouflage hunting pants. "I'm simply here today, with a short break in my moose hunting, to say, let's get to the facts."

At issue is whether Palin, her husband Todd or her aides acted inappropriately when governor sacked Public Safety Director Walt Monegan in July after he refused to dismiss Palin's former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, a state trooper whom the governor said had threatened her family. The trooper has denied making such threats.

The investigative report is due Oct. 10 — well in time to become grist for the presidential campaign.

Unlike her subordinates, Palin has not called the investigation unfair. In an interview with ABC New broadcast Friday, Palin said, "There's nothing to hide. Commissioner Monegan has said, 'The governor never asked me to fire him, the governor's husband never asked me to fire him,' and we never did. I never pressured him to hire or fire anybody."