Troopergate refers to the firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan by Governor Sarah Palin in 2008. The controversy arose from Monegan’s refusal to fire an Alaskan police officer, Mike Wooten, who was married to Palin’s sister. The relationship between Wooten and Palin dates back to 2000, when Palin wrote a character recommendation for him. The situation escalated during Wooten’s divorce from Palin’s sister, with Palin and her family making numerous complaints against him. In 2006, Palin became Governor of Alaska and used her power to reopen the Wooten matter. Monegan was fired in 2008, and Troopergate became a central theme in the 2008 presidential election.
Troopergate is the common nickname for the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner’s firing event. Troopergate took place in July of 2008 and involved Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who was also the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Under discussion at Troopergate was the firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Governor Palin said he fired Monegan due to underperformance, but Monegan said he believed his firing was related to his refusal to fire an Alaskan police officer, Mike Wooten.
Mike Wooten was married to Molly McCann, sister of Governor Palin. The bond between Wooten and Palin is at the heart of the Troopergate controversy, and you need to go back to 2000 to really understand it. In 2000, Palin was mayor of the city of Wasilla and at the time wrote a character recommendation for Mike Wooten, who was then dating Molly McCann. Wooten used this character recommendation to get a job as an Alaska State Trooper in early 2001.
In 2005, Molly McCann filed for divorce. McCann stated that after the filing, Wooten threatened McCann and Palin’s father if she helped with the divorce, and she threatened to bring Palin down if she helped. In late 2005, Palin wrote to the state police chief, Julia Grimes, suggesting that Wooten be fired and recounting Wooten’s threats against her father. During the divorce proceedings, the same judge commented on the awkwardness of McCann’s family, including Sarah Palin, seeking to end Wooten’s position with the soldiers, as she would have rendered him unable to pay her child support.
During the proceedings, the State Police union representative noted that they viewed Palin and McCann’s constant complaints against Wooten as a form of harassment. The judge warned McCann to stop demeaning Wooten’s reputation, and when the divorce proceedings ended, he noted that he continued to be concerned.
In 2006, following an internal investigation by Wooten, during which it was found that he had violated internal policy, he was suspended from service. The state police chief referred to the investigation and suspended Wooten for ten days, then reduced the suspension to five days after the union protested the decision.
Also in 2006, Sarah Palin assumed the position of Governor of Alaska. It was the power granted by this office that allowed for the perceived abuse of power known as Troopergate to occur. Troopergate really began when Palin’s husband invited the new Commissioner of Public Safety, whom Palin had appointed, to dinner and asked him to reopen the Wooten matter. She followed the request and decided that she could do no more.
Troopergate continued from there, with Monegan saying Palin contacted him twice more personally to ask him to do something about the situation. He also stated that she mentioned it many times in various emails. Two years later, in July of 2008, Monegan was fired. While many reasons have been given as to why Monegan was let go, mostly relating to taking the department in a different direction, the feeling that it may have been a result of his refusal to take tough action against Wooten has grown. among many people, leading to Troopergate.
Since the situation became public, Troopergate has been the focus of several news cycles. Both sides repeatedly comment on the Troopergate issue, which became a central theme in the 2008 presidential election, drawing criticism of Sarah Palin.
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