Palin, Aide, Have Same LawyerWe learned on Friday that seven witnesses last week cancelled their scheduled depositions in the Sarah Palin Trooper-Gate investigation. This came after Palin’s lawyer asserted in a court filing last week that the governor would not herself testify unless the probe were taken out of the hands of the legislature.
But there’s additional evidence of a centralized effort to protect Palin. Another possible witness in the case, Palin aide Ivy Frye, has hired Thomas Van Flein, the lawyer representing Palin herself. Asked by TPMmuckraker this afternoon about her role in the inquiry, Frye, described in news reports as a “special assistant” to Palin, responded: “You can call my attorney if you’d like,” and named Van Flein.
Palin’s office has claimed executive privilege on a group of emails sent this spring between Palin aides, including Frye. Van Flein did not immediately return a request for comment.
As for the seven witnesses who cancelled their depositions last week, we already knew that one of those seven was Frank Bailey, the Palin aide who was heard in a recorded phone conversation telling a trooper official that Palin was wondering why Trooper Mike Wooten — the figure at the center of the case — still had a job.
And on Saturday, the Anchorage Daily News reported the names of the other six:
• Annette Kreitzer, Palin’s administration commissioner.• Kris Perry, a Palin confidant who managed her gubernatorial campaign and now manages her Anchorage office.
• Nicki Neal, state personnel and labor relations director.
• Karen Rehfeld, the governor’s budget director.
• Brad Thompson, state risk management director.
• Dianne Kiesel, a state human resources manager.
Update: When asked about the cancellation of his deposition, Thompson told TPMmuckraker, “no comment.” The rest did not immediately return calls.