Palin has legal defense fund

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 24 (UPI) -- Supporters of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have started a legal defense fund to pay her expenses fighting allegations of ethics violations.

Kristan Cole, one of the founders, described The Alaska Fund Trust as "one of the most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history."

"I joined with fellow Alaskans in forming the Alaska Fund Trust to help alleviate the Governor's legal debt incurred while performing her job as well as eliminate the incentive for future attacks by her opponents," Cole said in a statement on the trust Web site.

Palin, while she was John McCain's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket, was the target of an investigation by the Alaska Senate into the firing of the state public safety director. He was allegedly dismissed for refusing to fire Palin's former brother-in-law, a state trooper.

Campaign Solutions, a Republican consulting firm with close ties to McCain, has decided to stop advising Palin's political action committee, SarahPAC, The Washington Post reported Friday.

"When the Governor gave Kristan Cole permission to launch a legal expense fund, she had one request: keep it in Alaska. Campaign Solutions is not based in Alaska," said Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for SarahPAC.