Gov. Palin to give deposition Friday

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, already found by one investigation to have abused her power, will give a deposition Friday in a second inquiry into her firing of the state’s top public safety official.

It will be the first deposition in the probe by Palin. She was not subpoenaed to answer questions in an investigation by the state Legislature, though her husband, Todd, gave an affidavit in that probe.

The Legislature’s investigator, Stephen Branchflower, found that Palin violated ethics laws in attempts to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired. But Branchflower found Palin was within her right to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who claimed he was dismissed for refusing to fire the trooper —- a charge Palin has denied.

Friday’s deposition will be part of an investigation by the Alaska Personnel Board. Palin has said it was up to the board, which is under her control, to investigate her actions, not state lawmakers.