Topic: Michael Wooten

The Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal, also known as Troopergate, involves the July 2008 dismissal of the Public Safety Commissioner for the State of Alaska by Governor Sarah Palin.

On October 10, 2008, the Alaska Legislative Council voted unanimously to release the Branchflower investigative report, which implicated Palin in violating the public trust through abuse of power. On November 3, 2008, the day before Election Day, the gubernatorially appointed Alaska State Personnel Board released the findings of its own probe, which contradicted the Legislature's.

Sarah Palin, who in late August became the Republican vice presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election, said that she reassigned commissioner Walt Monegan because of performance-related issues. Monegan said that his forced resignation may have been tied to his reluctance to fire Mike Wooten, an Alaska State Trooper who is also Palin's ex-brother-in-law. Monegan said that the Governor herself, her husband, and members of her staff as well as the state's Attorney General, had contacted him numerous times regarding Wooten. At the time Palin dismissed Monegan, Wooten was involved in a custody battle with his former wife, Molly McCann, Palin's sister.