Sarah Palin’s 1,100+ Secret Emails
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Ethics, History, Palin, Republicans
The more you dig, the goofier it gets…
Some background…
In June, Andrée McLeod, a self-described independent government watchdog in Alaska, sent an open records act request to the office of Governor Sarah Palin. She requested copies of all the emails that had been sent and received by Ivy Frye and Frank Bailey, two top aides to Palin, from February through April of this year. McLeod, a 53-year-old registered Republican who has held various jobs in state government, suspected that Frye and Bailey had engaged in political activity during official business hours in that period by participating in a Palin-backed effort to oust the state chairman of the Alaska Republican party, Randy Ruedrich.
I hope you noted that the open records request was made by a registered Republican.
So then, what’s so goofy?
Well…here’s one potential bombshell…
Several of the emails suggested to her that Palin’s office had used its influence to reward a Fairbanks surveyor who was a Palin fundraiser with a state job. In early August, McLeod filed a complaint with the state attorney general against Palin, Bailey, and other Palin aides, claiming they had violated ethics and hiring laws. Palin, now the Republican vice-presidential candidate, told the Alaska Daily News that “there were no favors done for anybody.”
And it gets even goofier…
But more intriguing than any email correspondence contained in the four boxes was what was not released: about 1100 emails. [...]The list of still-secret emails includes a series of messages that circulated on February 1, 2008, among Palin, Bailey, Frye, and Todd Palin “re Andrew Halcro.” A former Republican, Halcro ran as an independent against Palin for governor in 2006, collecting only 9 percent of the vote. [...]
The list of confidential emails [also] includes a number of communications related to the Public Safety Employees Association, a union for the state’s police officers and state troopers, and the headings refer to PSEA ads and a “PR campaign.” Many of these PSEA-related emails were CC’ed to Todd Palin—and were also withheld under the deliberative process and executive privileges.
Obvious question #1: Why is Todd Palin being CC’d on ANY email that is official government business?
Obvious question #2: How can Sarah claim executive privilege and keep the emails secret if Todd was included in the correspondence?
Obvious question #3: How did Palin treat McLeod after this records request?
The answer to that last one: not well.
Palin has denounced McLeod’s efforts. After McLeod filed the ethics complaint, Palin told the Anchorage Daily News, “This is the same Andrée McLeod that follows us around at public events and camps herself out in our waiting area and hounds us for a job, asking us if there’s a way she can…not have to go through the system to get a job with this administration.” Palin also called McLeod “the falafel lady,” because McLeod once sold falafel.On his website, Halcro has posted excerpts of emails Palin sent McLeod between 2002 and 2005, in which she praised McLeod. In one of these messages, Palin wrote, “You’re all about accountability.” In another, Palin said, “Thanks for working to instill the public trust.” Palin also wrote her, “I’m proud to know you.” And in one email, Palin hailed McLeod: “Holy Moly you are powerful regarding getting the word out to the press about questionable activity.”
The more you dig, the goofier it gets…
This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Ethics, History, Palin, Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 8th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I can try to take a shot at 1, at least. Now, this is mere speculation, but she may have cc’ed it to Todd because that’s the email they use at home. It may be a family email address that also happens to be Todd’s email address; this way, Sarah could access the emails from home. It’s still sketchy to give the whole family access to them, but not completely unreasonable.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:08 am
That’s a fair assessment and just as plausible as any other except there is ample evidence that Todd was deeply involved in Alaskan government affairs, sitting in on “private” meetings, glad-handing/lobbying state employees and generally acting as an unofficial assistant to the governor.
Ever hear of John Bitney? Bitney served as Palin’s Issues Coordinator during her gubernatorial campaign, was the spokesman for her transition team after the election and her Legislative Liaison after the election.
From all outward appearances, Bitney was doing an outstanding job, but then Bitney started dating the ex-wife of Todd’s pal and shortly after got canned with no warning or explanation.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Ok. Suspected.
What’s goofy to me is that we have a suspicion, a suggestion, and a claim. Followed up by the inevitable questions, which always morphs into questionable behavior
I don’t think this sort of behavior on the part of Obama supporters avails them anything, becuase they are simply raising question after question without any evidence thus far that smells of actual wrongdoing. I think folks who want to plump Obama by sinking Palin would be far better served by keeping their mouths shut until they have something legitimate.
But hey, go ahead. Assume that the GOP has cluelessly failed to review these things with a fine tooth comb. Maybe the GOP has laid off all of their Rovian evil geniuses and is no longer capable of the sort of routine craft and subterfuge that the most paranoid folks on the left have routinely attributed to them. I guess it’s not so hard to believe when you think that your candidate is going to deliver a pony and a rainbow in every pot come January 21st, 2009.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:00 am
File this with all of your posts looking exhaustively at the Obama/Rezko connection.
Oh yeah…..
MAybe you’ll get around to it in a couple of years.
Justin hearing this stuff from you has all the credibility of hearing it from the Obama campaign itself.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Most Internet providers allow more than one email address; sending CC email to her hubby doesn’t wash.
Hubby works for BP on the North Slope; I’m sure BP would love being kept abreast of what’s going on in the capital.
CCing Hubby may be a way to contact BP Management by Proxy?
September 9th, 2008 at 8:49 am
The more I hear about Palin’s attitude to people who have in some way spurned her the more I think about the authoritarian (within the White House) Bush/Cheney administration. Do we really want someone in the White House who deals with people who disagree with her by attempting or having them fired or removed from office? I see Palin only continuing the legacy of having “no-men and women” continually removed from the White House with “yes-men and women” and the continuation of blunders by an administration who refuses to listen to anyone who disagrees or understands the issue at hand.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I have no intention of voting for Palin. But I don’t really see that copying Todd is a major outrage. Ditto his “glad-handing” people.
It’s hardly unknown for First Ladies to be involved in government business to some degree. Consider, to take the obvious example, Hilary Clinton and health care during the early Clinton administration. Guess it’s just the mental strain of adjusting to a First Gentleman that it exercising even gender-neutral liberals. ;-)
September 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Go get ‘er, Justin! Promoting suspicion is a fast, easy way to lower the popularity of a political candidate.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Are you kidding me? The more you dig the goofier it gets? Sounds like someone is trying really hard to find dirt, but can’t… If this is the best you can come up with then run with it. The smear campaign against Sarah Palin has worked pretty good so far… right? If these Journalist keep digging the way they have – the election should be a landslide for McCain/Palin! Keep the good work, we need all the help you can give us!
September 9th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
How could one get any goofier than this shit?
September 10th, 2008 at 1:48 am
[...] that there is some real vetting going on about Gov Palin’s record and views, we already have a fairly sizable chunk of the American population who won’t [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Too bad we don’t have the time to vet the barracuda for the same time we vetted John, Barrack, Hilary and the rest. She will be vetted by hook or crook if she keeps hiding behind the “sexism” apron. With or Without her consent, she will be investigated like the rest. The more she tries to hide, the more digging, look at the Nixon white house the premier stonewallers of my time until the Bushies got in. The put stonewalling into super drive. And now we have the pit bull with lipstick in the stonewalling game. Oh My, what will the republicans think of next???? Maybe which state they can rig???
September 17th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
GO PALIN!!
September 17th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Just trying to piss off some haters. You repub hating people get in the way of your own selves. Your hatred is only fueling the republicans advancement. You dems need to “cross the isle” and “work with the gun totin hillbillies” and come to agreements. They love God and family more than theatre and wine. This fighting only devides the balance and diversity that is America. We really have a lot in common if only we could communicate more effectively with and unbiased (left leaning) media.
October 10th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Palin is a disgrace to America, a disgrace to woman, and a disgrace to any political office she represents.
October 11th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I am certain that there is an innocent excuse, after all, everything Sarah does is innocent, and naive. She is a ‘Babe from the woods’, so to speak, and will continue to commit travesties of this sort until she hits a “Biggie” that takes her down! I just hope it happens before she takes over the Presidency (a forgone conclusion considering McBushes health) than after! We the American people must relegate ourselves to observers as this ‘comedy of our lives’ plays itself out! We will certainly reap whatever she sows, and may pay for it dearly. On the other hand, Obama may win, and we will face only the Great Depression and its depravity – Happy Early Halloween!
March 20th, 2009 at 2:17 am
[...] that there is some real vetting going on about Gov Palin’s record and views, we already have a fairly sizable chunk of the American population who won’t [...]