Subpoenaed Palin aides don't appear at abuse probe

Palin's chief of staff, Mike Nizich, and six other aides failed to appear at a legislative hearing into whether Palin abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner this summer.

State Senate Judiciary Chairman Hollis French, a Democrat, waited 30 minutes Friday before reading a statement that the witnesses could be found in contempt when the full Legislature convenes in January and that the investigation would go on "in a simple search for the truth."

Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg filed a lawsuit on behalf of the seven state workers Thursday challenging the subpoenas. He claims the committee has no jurisdiction to issue subpoenas in the investigation and questions whether the investigation's overseeing body, the Legislative Council, had the authority to begin a probe.

Colberg, a Republican appointed by Palin, said in a news conference Friday that he never directed anybody to ignore subpoenas but advised the seven that they had two options: Show up and testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee or don't and join the lawsuit.

"If they were a normal subpoena, we do not believe they would be optional," Colberg said.

Palin fired Walt Monegan, the public safety commissioner, in July. He claims he was fired for refusing to fire a state trooper who had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister.

He claims he was pressured by Palin, her husband, Todd, and members of her staff to fire the trooper.

The Republican vice presidential nominee had initially denied that she nor anyone in her administration pressured Monegan, but in August revealed that her director of boards and commissions, Frank Bailey, was recorded questioning a state trooper official about why Palin's former brother-in-law still had a job.

"Todd and Sarah are scratching their heads, why on earth hasn't, why is this guy still representing the department? He's a horrible recruiting tool. ... You know, I mean from their perspective, everyone's protecting him," he said.