Alaska lawmakers meet to discuss Palin probe report

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Alaska lawmakers huddled behind closed doors on Friday to discuss a report about an abuse-of-power investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin, the U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate.

Palin is being investigated for her dismissal in July of the state's public safety commissioner, a move that critics of Palin allege was part of a personal vendetta against a state trooper who was involved in a contentious divorce with the governor's sister.

Eleven members of Alaska's Legislative Council, seven Republicans and four Democrats, convened at around 9 a.m. Alaska time to discuss the findings of the report, which was written by Steve Branchflower, a retired state prosecutor hired by lawmakers to conduct the inquiry.

The Legislative Council was to decide whether to keep private the contents of the investigation report, which is some 1,000 pages, or to disclose it to the public.

After Palin was selected to be Sen. John McCain's running mate, the Alaska scandal known locally as "Troopergate" got national attention.

The McCain-Palin campaign has attacked the investigation as a partisan effort led by supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and said the public safety commissioner was dismissed because of poor performance.

(Reporting by Yereth Rosen; Editing by Daisuke Wakabayashi and Eric Walsh)