Walt Monegan

Walt Monegan was the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner until he was fired by Sarah Palin on July 11, 2008, triggering the Trooper-Gate scandal. Monegan came forward and claimed that Palin had dismissed him for not firing Mike Wooten, a state trooper involved in a custody battle with Palin's sister. Palin offered three different explanations for her decision: that he had stepped down after refusing a different government post, that he had not responded to her budget instructions, and that she was disappointed with his performance more generally.
The report by independent prosecutor Steven Branchflower found that Palin had violated ethics laws when she fired Monegan.

Researched and written by Natalie Sherman