Alaska Lawmakers to Seek Subpoenas in Palin Inquiry

[struggle4progress]

Source: NYT

By PETER S. GOODMAN and MICHAEL MOSS
Published: September 5, 2008

ANCHORAGE — Senior lawmakers in the Alaska State Legislature said Friday that they would seek subpoenas to compel seven witnesses to answer questions in an ethics inquiry into whether Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, improperly put pressure on state officials to dismiss her former brother-in-law, a state trooper.

The lawmakers overseeing the inquiry said the investigator would deliver a final report by Oct. 10 to allow both sides ample time to respond before the presidential election. Ms. Palin, after pledging for weeks that she would cooperate with the investigation, has in recent days begun to challenge the Legislature’s jurisdiction in the inquiry.

The list of people the investigator is seeking to question — including a top Palin aide, the state personnel director and the cabinet-level commissioner of administration — indicates that the inquiry is focusing on accusations that the governor’s office unlawfully breached the personnel file of the trooper, Mike Wooten. He has had a particularly contentious divorce and custody battle with Ms. Palin’s sister ...

The pursuit of the subpoenas, which are scheduled for a vote before a joint hearing of the Alaska House and Senate Judiciary Committees next Friday, increased tensions in the ethics controversy embroiling Ms. Palin as she seeks to become vice president ...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/politics/06trooper.html?em

[dkf]

1. I wonder if they can ask the witnesses if anyone talked to them about

not cooperating with the inquiry.

[WyldRogue]

5. Polygraph

Hook 'em up to a polygraph and ask them if they have been tampered with by anyone related to Palin or McCain.

At least that will make sure that they just can't freely lie about it to protect McCain and Palin's asses..

[Realityhack]

6. No it wouldn't.

The polygraph is notoriously unreliable. Might as well just tell them they are under a magic truth field for all the good it would do.

[Richard Steele]

2. K&R

[jhain]

3. Governor, Please pick up the phone...

[nichomachus]

4. This is why it was so important for them to pack the courts

This can be stalled out at so many levels.

Every watches the Supreme Court -- which is important -- but the real work of obstruction is done at the lower courts. 99.99 percent of stuff never gets up to the Supreme Court.

All they need to do is stall this enough to run out the clock. Then, later they maneuver it in front of a friendly judge -- like what happened yesterday with the DC court -- and the judge tosses it out.

Sort of like the Judge who was appointed for the specific purpose of overturning Ollie North's conviction.

[Baby Snooks]

7. Oh, how I wish...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Alaska legislature began impeachment proceedings against her? Would love to hear the spin on that one.

[roguevalley]

8. they could. Hollis French isn't against it. :)

[DaLittle Kitty]

9. IMPEACH "GRANDMA" SARAH PALIN NOW!

:think:

[montanto]

10. It would be down-right un-Republican of her

to not have already broken the law, perjured herself, obstructed justice, threatened witnesses . . . This may be what Sen. Brownback was referring to when he said that McCain's was a "historic" choice to field Palin as Veep. She's already broken the record for abuse of power. She can't even wait til she gets (no, please no) in office.

Its time we throw Palin under the moose.