Pieces fall into place for Troopergate inquiry

By GottaLaff

IWRC* Palin is on the TV Machine right now telling us that Obama is for government, and Gramm-pa McCain is for YOU! I guess she didn't watch the debate. And I wonder who she thinks the legal system is for:

With his Troopergate report due Friday, legislative investigator Steve Branchflower appears to have the makings of a fairly complete account, despite weeks of resistance from the Palin family and administration.

Branchflower has, or soon will have, answers from nearly all the people he'd hoped to question regarding Gov. Sarah Palin's firing in July of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

Some of the final witnesses include seven state employees, including the governor's chief of staff, who lost a court fight to kill subpoenas Branchflower obtained through the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee to compel their testimony.

The seven this week are answering a list of questions known as interrogatories. The answers are submitted under oath.

Another key witness, Todd Palin, the governor's husband, also is answering a list of questions in writing, and has a deadline of today to turn them in.

A legislative panel has scheduled a meeting for 9 a.m. Friday to receive Branchflower's report on Monegan's firing and whether Palin or members of her administration abused their powers in pushing for the dismissal of a state trooper involved in a child-custody fight with the governor's sister. [...]

Whether in person or in writing, Branchflower has been able to interview nearly all the witnesses he wanted to question regarding whatever they might know about events surrounding Monegan's firing.

The big exception is the governor herself, who had said initially she would cooperate but has since resisted. Legislators decided against hitting the governor with a subpoena, saying they wanted to "de-escalate" tensions between her and the Legislature. [...]

By Friday, Branchflower is expected to have heard from at least 15 witnesses, including Mike Nizich, Palin's chief of staff, and Annette Kreitzer, Palin's commissioner of administration. He's also gathering e-mail and other documents.

Gosh darn it, y'all (and yes, she just said, "y'all" in her speech), we're just itchin' to see the results of all that hard work and a sneak peek at what Branchflower's been collectin'. We sure as shootin' are, you betcha, doggone it.

And then we'll see how perky and rootin'-tootin' pitbully IWRC*-voice-like-a-dental-drill (Drill, baby, drill!) Palin feels.

*"In What Respect, Charlie?"