BlogWonks

If you’re one of those Obama Kool Aid drinkers salivating at the thought of Sarah Palin being found to have done something improper in the so called “Troopergate” matter, it looks like there’s some very bad news for you. Sarah Palin fired Walter Monegan for insubordination, not for refusing to fire her ex-brother-in-law Mike Wooten.

Walt Monegan lost his job as public safety director because he resisted Gov. Sarah Palin’s budget policies and showed “outright insubordination,” say papers the governor’s lawyer filed Monday with the state Personnel Board.It was Palin’s strongest effort yet to snuff allegations she sacked Monegan because he refused to fire a state trooper involved in an ugly divorce with the governor’s sister.

Along with the papers filed Monday were a slew of e-mails from the governor’s office purporting to show Monegan’s “rogue mentality” as a member of Palin’s Cabinet.

In one message, the governor’s budget director, Karen Rehfeld, wrote that she was “stunned and amazed” that Monegan appeared to be working with a powerful state legislator, Anchorage Republican Rep. Kevin Meyer, to seek funding for a project Palin previously had vetoed.

To coincide with Monday’s filing, spokesmen for the Republican national ticket of John McCain and Palin, his vice presidential running mate, held an Anchorage press conference touting the “important new information” they said cleared Palin of misconduct in what has come to be known as Troopergate.

Monegan, reached Monday at his Chugiak home, said he was dismayed at the attack on his record as Palin’s public safety commissioner.

“In my mind, I’ve always been a team player,” he said.

Not that Governor Palin even needs a reason to fire one of her political appointees. She’s permitted by law to fire them without cause. But, this is just one more nail in the coffin of those who are trying to smear Palin with this “Troopergate” nonsense.

Update:

Ed tells us that this was not the only episode of insubordination by Monegan.

According to the papers filed by Palin’s legal team, that was not the only instance of insubordination from Monegan:

• 12/9/07: Monegan holds a press conference with Hollis French to push his own budget plan.
• 1/29/08: Palin’s staffers have to rework their procedures to keep Monegan from bypassing normal channels for budget requests.
• February 2008: Monegan publicly releases a letter he wrote to Palin supporting a project she vetoed.
• June 26, 2008: Monegan bypassed the governor’s office entirely and contacted Alaska’s Congressional delegation to gain funding for a project.

So Monegan was far less than  a model employee, and Palin finally had enough. See how the story changes, and everything falls into place when the facts actually come out?