Palin Facing Alaska Ethics Investigation

John McCain’s running mate comes to the national campaign embroiled in a scandal back home, Talking Points Memo reports. Alaska’s legislative council has appointed a special commission to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin, who’s accused of pressuring the state’s department of public safety to fire her former brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten—who is battling Palin’s sister in a messy custody suit.

Palin denies the charges but has admitted that someone in her administration played a role in “Wooten-gate.” She’s distanced herself from the staffer, but phone recordings suggest he was acting with her consent. “This is a governor who was almost impervious to error,” a Democratic state senator tells the Wall Street Journal. “Now she could face impeachment, in a worst-case scenario.” (More Sarah Palin stories.)