Palins Piled On Pressure for Trooper's Firing

'Obsessed' pair repeatedly contacted commissioner to slam trooper

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 10, 2008 3:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sarah Palin, her husband and officials from the governor's office made dozens of phone calls to Palin's public safety commissioner and his aides denouncing state trooper Mike Wooten, the New York Times reports. Walt Monegan, whose firing Palin claims was unrelated to the matter, says the governor and her husband appeared obsessed with bouncing Palin's former brother-in-law off the force.

Monegan was never ordered to fire Wooten, but says he was badgered about incidents involving the cop. Todd Palin was frustrated when Wooten was only suspended. "I wondered how long I could keep my job if I tick off my boss’s husband,” said Monegan. When he was removed as commissioner, Monegan asked if it was because of Wooten—but was told only that Sarah Palin wanted "a new direction." A panel probing his firing issues its findings today.

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Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten. (AP Photo/Al Grillo)

In this Dec. 4, 2006 file photo, Todd Palin, right, holds the Bible for his wife, Sarah Palin, as she is sworn in as Alaska's governor during an inauguration ceremony in Fairbanks, Alaska. (AP Photo/Al Grillo)

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To all of us, it was a campaign to get rid of him as a trooper and, at the very least, to smear the guy and give him a desk job somewhere. - Kim Peterson, special assistant to Walt Monegan

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Palins Piled On Pressure for Trooper's Firing