A Chattanooga federal grand jury is expected to hear evidence today in the case against a University of Tennessee student suspected of hacking into Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s personal e-mail account.

Laura Sweeney, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Justice, confirmed Monday that over the weekend the FBI began investigating the activities of 20-year-old David Kernell in Knoxville, where the university student lives.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chattanooga confirmed Monday that the assistant U.S. attorney handling the case in Knoxville will arrive in town this morning. Calls to the official were not returned Monday.

Mr. Kernell, who has not been charged with a specific crime, is the son of state Rep. Mike Kernell, a Memphis Democrat.

The grand jury, which consists of 23 men and women, will begin its session at 9 a.m. at the federal courthouse on Georgia Avenue. Grand juries are responsible for hearing basic evidence of an alleged crime and deciding whether or not to indict a suspect on criminal charges.

Rep. Kernell told the Times Free Press last week that his son was being discussed on Internet blogs in connection with the alleged hacking incident, but he declined to comment further.

Kernell family attorney Wade V. Davies wrote in a letter on Monday that “the Kernell family wants to do the right thing, and they want what is best for their son.”

Mr. Davies did not respond to questions about the Chattanooga grand jury’s possible involvement. Mr. Kernell also has not responded to efforts to contact him.

A hacker last week broke into one of the Yahoo Inc. e-mail accounts that Alaska Gov. Palin uses, revealing a few inconsequential personal messages, The Associated Press reported. Sen. John McCain’s GOP presidential campaign confirmed the break-in and called it a “shocking invasion of the governor’s privacy and a violation of the law.”

During the break-in, the hacker used an Internet address that traced to Mr. Kernell’s apartment complex in Knoxville, according to the AP.

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith sought to tie the hacking of Gov. Palin’s e-mail account to a national “lust for power” by Democrats.

“Their (Democrats’) record of dirty political tactics to smear opponents and steal elections isn’t the kind of change voters are looking for,” Mrs. Smith said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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