Subpoenaed Palin aides don't appear at abuse probe

Who could have seen this one coming?

Seven of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's top aides defied subpoenas to testimony into possible abuse of power by the Alaskan governor.

The investigation surrounds the firing of Walt Monegan, the public safety commissioner, in July. He has stated his dismissal was over his refusal to fire a state trooper who had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister.

The pressure came from all quarters including Palin, her husband, Todd, and members of her staff.

In August Palin admitted that her director of boards and commissions, Frank Bailey, had questioned a state trooper official about why Palin's former brother-in-law still had a job.

"Todd and Sarah are scratching their heads, why on earth hasn't, why is this guy still representing the department? He's a horrible recruiting tool. ... You know, I mean from their perspective, everyone's protecting him," he said.

Palin claims she fired Monegan over budget disagreements.

Five Republican state legislators have filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the Legislative Council's investigation. No intention to keep anything ugly from coming up during the election campaign, of course.