Retired prosecutor Stephen Branchflower asked the state House and Senate judiciary committees for power to subpoena 13 witnesses, including Todd Palin. The committees were expected to grant the request.|ADN|
I hadn't previously heard that Todd Palin was to be subpoenaed, and I thought that only the seven aides who had cancelled interviews would receive subpoenas. The increase could indicate a widening of the investigation to include the alleged abuse of personnnel files, or it could just reflect Branchflower's judgment that in the face of Palin's recalcitrance, all testimony will need to be compelled.
Update: The subpoenas have been issued. If there press is doing their job, this should be a major story.
The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 today to subpoena 13 people -- including the husband of Gov. Sarah Palin -- in an investigation of whether Palin abused her power in trying to get her former brother-in-law fired.
...
In addition to authorizing subpoenas for the 13 witnesses, most of whom are state officials, the committee OK'd subpoenaing the cell phone records of Frank Bailey, a Palin aide who was placed on leave last month. |ADN|
Double Plus Update: The campaign to discredit the independent investigation is truly something to behold.
Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein told reporters after the vote that the Democratic lawmaker managing the investigation, state Sen. Hollis French, "has partisan motives for doing this." And Palin's lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, repeated claims that the investigation was "a political circus."
"Using subpoenas like this looks like an abuse of power, and it's become a circus," Parnell said. Friday's action goes "well beyond the pale of a legislative committee's normal responsibilities," he added.|CNN|
As they say down in Texas, you gotta admire the balls on that steer. Especially in light of tonight's developments.
No comments:
Post a Comment