Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg has resigned in the wake of state legislators blasting his performance during the "Troopergate" investigation.
Governor Sarah Palin, who appointed Colberg to the job just over two years ago, said "It is a harsh political environment right now. You saw what he went through these last couple of weeks with speculation that a couple of the lawmakers wanted to continue to grill him, a couple of the lawmakers not believing, it seems, what he had to say," Palin said. "I just hope this political environment doesn't deter others who want to make a positive difference."
Colberg has been at the center of controversy over his handling of the so-called "Troopergate" investigation. Two weeks ago, he was grilled and sharply criticized by legislators for trying to block legislative subpoenas to state officials during the inquiry into whether Palin abused power in complaints against a state trooper and her dismissal of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
The state Senate on Friday found the governor's husband, Todd, and nine Palin aides in contempt for failing to show up when ordered by subpoena to testify in the Legislature's "Troopergate" investigation. Todd Palin and the rest did eventually submit written statements to the investigator, so the Senate said no punishment of them was warranted. But Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, had left open the possibility of future action against the state attorney general.
A statement from the governor's office quoted Palin as saying, "Talis is a highly intelligent, thoughtful and reserved scholar who brought considerable legal knowledge and great personal integrity to the position. I appreciate his willingness to serve, and as the search for a new attorney general begins, I will look for someone with the same strong moral character as Talis. I wish him well in his future endeavors."
Colberg was an attorney in a small private practice in Palmer before being appointed by Palin shortly after she took office in 2006.
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The Attorney General should be elected, not appointed by the Governor!
(full report - Anchorage Daily News)
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