NBC: Palin 'TrooperGate" investigation being stalled? Key witness backed out of testifying today

[sabra]

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/03/1334385.aspx

Stalling the Troopergate investigation?


From NBC's Aram Roston
ANCHORAGE, AK -- A key witness in the Alaska State Senate Ethics investigation of Gov. Palin has backed out of testifying today, the state senator in charge of the investigation tells NBC News. The senator -- Democrat Hollis French -- says Frank Bailey's decision not to testify will slow down the "Troopergate" investigation into the current candidate.

The investigation centers on whether Gov. Palin abused her power when firing her commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan in July 2008. Monegan maintains he was fired, for not firing another man in his command -- Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten -- Gov. Palin's ex-brother in law who, years earlier, went through a messy divorce with her sister.

Frank Bailey, a member of Palin's administration, was caught on tape in August 2008 on a phone call with another trooper in which he questioned why Wooten was still on staff, seemingly speaking on behalf of Palin. The release of this tape proved embarrassing for Palin, who was forced to backtrack on her earlier statements, in which she had maintained neither she, nor her family, nor staff, ever pressured Monegan or anyone else to fire Wooten.

Bailey was put on paid leave from the administration following the release of that tape.

Since becoming the VP nominee, Palin has challenged jurisdiction of the ethics investigation. Bailey cites that jurisdictional uncertainty as his reason for not testifying.

[AzDar]

1. K & R....

:kick:

[Wapsie B]

2. Note to Bailey: Stay out of small aircraft.

K & R

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. kick! n/t

[TwilightGardener]

4. The goon squad of lawyers in AK, doing its arm-twisting. The GOP will have

this swept under the rug in no time.

[TwilightGardener]

7. BTW, why is testifying voluntary? Is it because it's a legislature-run investigation, rather

than a court-run one?

[BeyondGeography]

23. They were told they wouldn't need to issue subpoenas, but, obviously, that's no longer the case

A delaying tactic, pure and simple.

[BeyondGeography]

24. dupe

[progressivebydesign]

12. they've been instructing her friends, family, neighbors not to talk...

can you imagine any other candidate where the people close to them are muzzled???? The media should be screaming to high heaven and take that ticket DOWN!!!

[writes3000]

5. Pure Republican Scum. nt

[City Lights]

6. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

mccain's fixers arrived, and now a key witness backs out of testifying. What a coinkydink!

[crazylikafox]

8. Guess Baily woke up in bed this AM with damn horse's head again

[progressivebydesign]

9. Oh fuck.. the republican mafia is at work. Now we know why McCranky's peeps are up there.n/t

[skooooo]

13. This pisses me OFF!!!

They get away with EVERYTHING!!! Can't someone fight back against these bastards??

[C_U_L8R]

10. Looks like someone got to him

Hope investigators are keeping a close eye on it.. this kind of bullshit flows upstream

[skooooo]

11. Intimidation going on...

Do we need a federal probe?

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Ya mean, like a probe directed out of Mukasey's DOJ?

[GoesTo11]

18. We do need a federal probe. 8 years of this is enough.

[Democrafty]

14. Kick. So sick of these thugs. n/t

[KathieG]

16. Why am I not surprised?

:eyes:

[Hope And Change]

17. K & R!

[FVZA_Colonel]

19. This changes nothing about her culpability.

All he said was something about that jurisdictional nonsense. And to have it transferred to a board in which three members were appointed by Palin is a fucking joke.

[skooooo]

22. But if it takes the investigation out of the news cycle..

..then we lose.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

20. I would say that we need to organize protests and demonstrations against

this illegal behavior.

But we've now seen widespread police violence and criminal behavior against protestors of the RNC, beating them and even invading their homes and seizing their papers and computers on the suspicion they merely thought about engaging in protests.

And the media isn't even giving it 5 seconds of coverage.

America is turning into a lawless state.

[neomonkey]

21. From the get-go

I've felt that Frank Bailey and Smile Sarah Smile were complicit in his phone call to the state troopers.
I have no proof or grounds to believe this, I simply feel it, intuitively.
Part of some crazed master scheme these wretched souls have hatched.

Perhaps I give them too much credit...let's hope.