The Daily MuckThe Alaska Supreme Court will hear the case brought by Republican legislators and the state attorney general against the legislature’s inquiry into Sarah Palin’s firing of Walt Monegan, the former state police chief. The suit, dismissed by the Superior Court last week, argues that the Trooper-Gate investigation has become overly politicized. The legislature’s investigation, launched in July in a unanimous, bipartisan vote, is scheduled to release its report at the end of this week. (Bloomburg)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey released new rules to regulate FBI investigations, drawing fire from a civil liberties group that says that the changes will allow racial profiling to become part of policy. Under the new regulations, preliminary investigations can begin with far less evidence up front, and include a person’s race or ethnicity as part of the considerations. The original standards are a legacy of the 1970s, when the government spied on figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. (Press Release)
The French case known as “Angolagate” begins today, with 42 people facing charges of $790 million in arms trafficking during Angola’s civil war. Among the accused are the son of former president Francois Mitterand and a former interior minister. Half a million people died in Angola’s domestic conflict. (AFP)
U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) led in his district’s primary on Saturday, despite a looming court date that will examine charges of bribery against him. To be elected, the eight-term congressman must win a run-off on Nov. 4 and then face a Republican challenger in December. An investigation into Jefferson’s dealings more than two years ago produced allegations of bribery, money laundering, and misuse of office. (AP)
The New York state senate will stop seeking records and testimony from former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and an aide as part of its travel records probe, saying that much of the information had already been obtained through other investigations. The inquiry began in August 2007 and was meant to determine if Spitzer misused state police when monitoring former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno’s use of government aircraft. Eliot left office last spring when his meetings with a prostitute became public. (Times Union)
Todd Palin, the husband of Alaska Gov. and Republican candidate for vice-president Sarah Palin, this weekend agreed to testify in the personnel board’s Trooper-Gate investigation. Gov. Palin is accused of ousting Walt Monegan when he did not axe a state trooper who is also her sister’s ex-husband. Todd Palin, who made one of the calls to Monegan, has refused a subpoena in the legislature’s parallel inquiry into the firing. (AP)