Now we know what Governor Palin was trying to cover up.

Gov. Sarah Palin says a recently discovered recording of one of her staffers pressuring officials in the Department of Public Safety to fire a state trooper who went through a bitter divorce with her sister will be turned over to a special investigator hired by the Legislature.

Palin has been under heavy criticism since firing former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan last month. Monegan says he felt pressured by Palin's family and administration to fire trooper Mike Wooten.

This afternoon, Palin called a news conference with Attorney General Talis Colberg and disclosed that a recording had been discovered of a Feb. 29 telephone call between a longtime Palin staff member, Frank Bailey, and Alaska State Troopers Lt. Rodney Dial, who at the time was legislative liaison for the Department of Public Safety. Before long, the conversation turned to Wooten, with Bailey listing the troopers alleged misdeeds.

"Todd (the governor's husband) and Sarah are scratching their heads, you know: Why on earth, why is this guy still representing the department, he's a horrible recruiting tool. And from their perspective, everybody's protecting him," Bailey says.

Later in the conversation, Bailey says, "I'm telling you honestly, you know, she really likes Walt a lot, but on this issue, she doesn't know why there is absolutely no action for a year on this issue. It's very, very troubling to her and the family.

Palin says she only learned of the recording yesterday and never told Bailey to make the call, even though she says the recording may sound as if Bailey is acting on her behalf.

Yeah it only "sounds like it is on her behalf".

You know the really sad part of this is that I don't blame the Palins for wanting to get back at Trooper Wooten. If he had threatened my family members I would have wanted to kick his ass or seen him lose his job as well. And if I had the power to make that happen I would have been tempted to do exactly that.

But that may be why I am not the Governor.

And if I were the Governor I expect that my constituents would expect me to uphold the laws of the state of Alaska and not use my position, or the people working under me, to get revenge against those who I felt had wronged me or my loved ones.

The bottom line is that Sarah let her desire for revenge get the best of her, and punished an honorable man for not doing what he knew was wrong. Walt Monegan should never have found himself in the middle of this ugly family squabble.