Subpoena me?

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

How many people would have the gall to tell a legislative committee they were going to ignore its subpoena because they had travel plans? Oh, and that they did not believe the committee’s investigation was legitimate.

Among the people with that kind of arrogance is Todd Palin, husband of John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The committee wants Todd Palin to appear because he is thought to have played a major role in Troopergate, the name given to the controversial decision by Sarah Palin to fire Alaska’s public safety commissioner.

Allegations are swirling that Gov. Palin and her husband wanted the commissioner fired because he failed to dismiss a state trooper who is her former brother-in-law and who is involved in a nasty Palin family dispute.

A month before McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, the Alaska Legislative Council, made up of eight Republicans and four Democrats, voted unanimously to hire an experienced investigator to determine whether Gov. Palin had abused her power.

On Sept. 12 the Alaska Senate’s Judiciary Committee — three Republicans and two Democrats — voted to issue subpoenas to Todd Palin and 13 other people, including members of the Palin administration.

The Alaska Legislature, as it should be, is just trying to see whether there is any truth to the allegations.

On Friday, however, Todd Palin, through a McCain-Palin campaign spokesman, said he would not honor the subpoena. Among the reasons: The investigation has become politicized. Todd Palin’s attorney added that the subpoena is “unduly burdensome” because his client has travel plans.

Earlier last week the Alaska attorney general had announced that Sarah Palin would not cooperate with the Legislature’s investigation, and members of her staff wouldn’t, either.

And Sarah Palin is the one to “reform” Washington?