Alaska ? Several top Alaska state legislators said Friday they would meet next week to consider authorizing subpoenas to force aides to Gov. Sarah Palin to testify in a probe into whether she abused her powers when she fired the state’s public safety commissioner.

Palin ousted Walter E. Monegan last July, saying she wanted to go in a “new direction,” but Monegan has said he was axed after he repeatedly refused to sack Trooper Michael Wooten, who was involved in a messy divorce from Palin’s sister.

Wooten, who had not talked about the controversy, surfaced for the first time Friday and downplayed Palin’s charges against him, denying to CNN that he had ever threatened the life of her father, Chuck Heath.

“I didn’t threaten him, and I never threatened anyone,” Wooten said.

The Alaska legislators said Friday they had no plans to subpoena Palin to force testimony from the governor because she had promised to cooperate.