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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Governor Tim Pawlenty says the federal government's hiring of a fired Minnesota official was "a very strange decision." The Department of Homeland Security hired Sonia Morphew Pitt two months ago at a salary of almost $90,000.

Pitt was a Minnesota emergency management official who was out of state when the Minneapolis Bridge Collapsed last year. She was fired for failing to return to the state and for misusing state money.

Pitt's new job didn't lost long. She was fired by Homeland Security a few hours after the first media reports appeared about her new job.

Pawlenty's remarks came in an interview with WCCO radio.

Information from: WCCO-AM, http://www.wccoradio.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 08-01-08 0715CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list