Legislators OK use of subpoenas to require testimony from 11 key people in investigation of Rodell firing

If the Dunleavy administration and the Permanent Fund board of trustees continue to refuse to cooperate with a legislative investigation, 11 key individuals will be subpoenaed to supply testimony, legislative leaders agreed Tuesday.

It should never have come to this.

But it has because of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Attorney General Treg Taylor and Craig Richards, the chairman of the Permanent Fund board of trustees.

The Legislative Budget & Audit Committee unanimously voted to pursue subpoenas if testimony is not given voluntarily regarding the Angela Rodell firing by the Permanent Fund and other issues regarding the operations of the Permanent Fund corporation.

The 11 people include the trustees of the corporation, four managers of the Permanent Fund corporation and one other state employee.

The attorney general, who has demonstrated that he is first and foremost a politician who does Dunleavy,’s bidding, has claimed that there is no justification in law or the Alaska Constitution for legislators to investigate Rodell’s firing.

Taylor has also claimed that the LB&A, a bipartisan committee which consists of members of the House and Senate, is not being fair. The letter he signed reeks of arrogance and is damaging to the Permanent Fund.

Taylor’s claim that the investigation somehow threatens the independence of the Permanent Fund trustees by “permitting legislative micromanagement of the corporation” is absurd.

“Moreover such a broad assertion of legislative authority to effectively micromanage a public corporation such as APFC can trigger serious separation of powers issues,” Dunleavy’s attorney general claims.

What’s really going on here is that the firing of Rodell, who had an excellent reputation and strong track record, raises obvious questions about what role Dunleavy and his staff played in her firing, The governor has two employees among the trustees and a third, Richards, did legal work for Dunleavy to fight the recall.

The attorney general is insulting Alaskans with the micromanagement claim, which was manufactured to prevent the public from knowing how the governor’s office worked with Richards and his two commissioners on the board to get Rodell out of their way.

Rodell opposed the Dunleavy plan for unsustainable multi-billion-dollar withdrawals from the Permanent Fund last year.

The Legislature has no interest in micromanaging the Permanent Fund. The Legislature and all Alaskans have a right to know why Rodell was removed. Public confidence in the fund and the future ability of the corporation to avoid the political fray are at risk.

The trustees and Permanent Fund employees would be wise to start cooperating with the Legislature in allowing lawmakers to get to the bottom of Angela Rodell’s firing. If not, they don’t deserve to be trustees of the fund or employees of the corporation.

Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673