Alaska Gov. Palin investigation update.

[L. Coyote]

The Palin investigator: Branchflower
August 1, 2008 - Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage - http://community.adn.com/node/128171

Word just came from the Senate -- former state assistant D.A. Steve Branchflower will handle the investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. ..... Special Counsel to conduct the Council’s investigation into the events surrounding the dismissal of former Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Some here have questioned the appointment

of Steve Branchflower to do this investigation since his wife was a state trooper for several years and is now an investigator with the Anchorage Police Department. It almost seems like a conflict of interest given that this whole "scandal" arose out of Sarah's firing of Trooper head Walt Monegan, who previously was the Anchorage Chief of Police. The bigger question in my mind is why wasn't this Trooper Wooten fired long ago. From what I've read, he's a real jackass, drinking in a patrol car, tasering his son (just to show him what it "felt like") and threatening Sarah's sister during the divorce. Maybe the "first dude" shouldn't have gotten involved, and maybe they did put undue pressure on Monegan to do something about it, but still ... why wasn't that trooper fired?

And the bottom line is, Monegan was a political appointee, and Sarah is entitled to fire political appointments at will. Anyway, it's just another delicious scandal in our state, which is reveling in delicious scandals these days. :)