October 9, 2008
Posted: 05:26 PM ET
The Alaska Supreme Court has refused to put a stop to an investigation into Gov. Palin's firing of the state's public safety commissioner.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) — An investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner can proceed, Alaska's Supreme Court ruled Thursday, clearing the way for a Friday report to the state Legislature on the issue. The justices rejected an effort to halt the probe by the Republican vice presidential nominee's allies in the Legislature, who called the investigation an attempt by partisan Democrats to sabotage the GOP ticket. The justices unanimously upheld an Anchorage judge's ruling last week that dismissed theRepublican lawsuit and upheld subpoenas for top Palin allies. The former commissioner, Walt Monegan, has said he was fired in July after refusing pressure to sack Palin's ex-brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten. Palin denies any wrongdoing, saying Monegan was dismissed after clashing repeatedly with her over budget issues. She originally agreed to cooperate with the probe, which was launched by a bipartisan commission of the state Legislature in July. But after Sen. John McCain tapped her as his running mate in August, her advisers dismissed the investigation as "tainted" by partisan politics and began to straight-arm the inquiry. The governor's husband Todd and several top aides spent three weeks resisting subpoenas issued by the state Senate in September. But after last week's decision by Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski, and with Friday's deadline for the investigation's final report approaching, they agreed to give statements to a special counsel this week. – CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report. Filed under: Sarah Palin
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