GOP effort fails. Alaska senator to retain oversight of Palin probe (AP)

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -

A Republican effort failed Monday to unseat the Alaska state senator overseeing the ethics investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power when she dismissed the state's public safety commissioner.


Democratic Sen. Hollis French was accused of manipulating the probe for political effect on national and state elections. Republican Rep. John Coghill last week asked the Alaska Legislature's Legislative Council, the body that appointed French to oversee the investigation, to discuss replacing French.

Coghill said he believed the investigation was lacking in fairness, neutrality and due process after French was quoted in media reports that the probe's results were going to be an "October surprise" that is "likely to be damaging to the administration."

On Monday, Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, the head of the Legislative Council, turned down his request. French's decisions to date have been appropriate, bipartisan and unchallenged, Elton wrote to Coghill. And the comments French made were "corrected in a very public way in the media," Elton wrote.

The investigation is examining whether Palin abused her power by firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan has said he felt pressure from the Palin family and staff to dismiss a trooper, Mike Wooten, who went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister.