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Monegan releases more e-mails

by Channel 2 News satff
Sunday, September 28, 2008

Former Public Safety commissioner Walt Monegan said he's turned over e-mails not yet released that prove he was responsible with the budget and not insubordinate.

Monegan said his e-mails provide a bigger picture because they include messages between other people, including his legislative liaison.

This comes after the McCain-Palin campaign released e-mails to prove Monegan's insubordination.

The campaign claims Monegan made unauthorized trips to Washington and asked for earmarks without approval of the governor.

Monegan admits he sent a letter asking for $1.8 million for an anti-gang initiative in Mountain View, but said he never made unauthorized trips to Washington.

He said the lack of communication between departments wasn't on his behalf.

"There's not a lot of input or requests ... or inclusion of anybody from DPS in this," Monegan said in a phone interview. "So I would submit that if there's a communication breakdown, given that my trip was approved by the chief of staff and yet still discussed by the rest of the staff, that it might be realistically a breakdown in communications within the governor's office more than anybody else."

A spokesman for Gov. Sarah Palin said Sunday that Monegan is acting in an inappropriate manner.

"The deal is you serve at the pleasure of the governor, and when the governor is no longer pleased, you leave and you're supposed to walk away quietly," Bill McAllister said in a phone interview.

Monegan said he often printed out e-mails to read them when he was in transit to Juneau and that's why he still has them.

Monegan turned over the e-mails to his attorney who plans to give them to investigators.