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By LEN TEPPER, BRIAN ROSS, and MADDY SAUER
Sept. 3, 2008
The deposition of one of Gov. Sarah Palin's staff members was canceled yesterday by the staffer's attorney, in what is yet another setback to the state legislature's investigation into claims that Palin fired the public safety commissioner after he refused to dismiss a trooper, Palin's former brother in-law.
Palin has denied any wrongdoing surrounding the dismissal of Walt Monegan, but has acknowledged that phone calls were made by her staff members to Public Safety officials regarding the trooper, Mike Wooten.
One of those calls was made by Palin's director of boards and commissions, Frank Bailey. Bailey was scheduled to be deposed as part of the legislature's investigation, but his attorney canceled the deposition yesterday and challenged the legislature's jurisdiction, according to the state senator running the probe.
The state legislature doesn’t have the authority to conduct the witch hunt/investigation, period. End of story. Let the Commission authorized to conduct the investigation do its job.
