Palin to make statement on abuse of power case

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her husband Todd will give depositions over the firing of the state’s public…

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her husband Todd will give depositions over the firing of the state’s public safety commissioner today.

The so-called Troopergate scandal involves the dismissal of commissioner Walter Monegan after he allegedly refused to fire Ms Palin's brother-in-law Mike Wooten, an Alaskan state trooper, following a messy divorce from her sister.

It will be the first time the Alaska governor, who has said Mr Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute, has spoken at length or under oath about the lingering controversy which has tarnished her reputation as a reformer on the Republican presidential ticket.

Thomas Van Flein, Ms Palin's lawyer, said: "She's been looking forward to this day. She would like to tell her story and she'd like people to know the truth."

But investigations by the Alaska personnel board are normally secret and, although Ms Palin has waived her privacy rights, others in her administration have not and the lead investigator Timothy Petumenos has sought to keep the matter from playing out in the media.

Mr Van Flein said Ms Palin would like to release a transcript of her deposition, but this could take several days and it is unclear whether it would be allowed.

Earlier this month, an Alaska legislative panel found Ms Palin abused her power and violated the state's ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

But Ms Palin was not subpoenaed in that investigation and it was largely toothless - it is up to the personnel board to decide whether she violated the law.

Her husband Todd told investigators: "I make no apologies for wanting to protect my family and wanting to publicise the injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge."

In his 267-page report, the chief investigator Stephen Branchflower said the Republican vice presidential nominee violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

"Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired," he said.

The report also found Mr Monegan's refusal to fire Mr Wooten was not the sole reason he was dismissed but was likely a contributing factor.

Ms Palin also allowed her husband, Todd to use the governor's office and resources to continue to contact state employees to find some way to get Mr Wooten fired, according to the report.

Supporters of Mrs Palin and John McCain had hoped the inquiry's findings would be delayed until after the presidential election on November 4th to spare her any embarrassment and to put aside an enduring distraction in an uphill contest against their Democratic rival Barack Obama.

Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said the report showed Mrs Palin "acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan".

"The report also illustrates what we've known all along: this was a partisan-led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern regarding Trooper Wooten given his violent and rogue
behaviour," she said.

"Lacking evidence to support the original Monegan allegation, the Legislative Council seriously overreached, making a tortured argument to find fault without basis in law or fact.

"The governor is looking forward to co-operating with the personnel board and continuing her conversation with the American people regarding the important issues facing the country."