New Doubts About Palin’s Stated Reason For Quitting
Even though she is not a quitter, Sarah Palin’s primary stated reason for quitting has been cast in a new light. Taxpayers, it turns out, are not spending millions to defend her with dollars that would otherwise go to cops, firefighters and other good Alaska services. Amanda Erickson at Plumline got the scoop.
David Murrow, a spokesperson for the Governor, said in an interview that much of this money was budgeted to the lawyers in advance and would have gone to them anyway, even if state lawyers hadn’t been defending against these ethics complaints.
In response to our questions, the Governor’s office provided us with a detailed breakdown of the millions Palin has claimed has gone to defending against ethics complaints. It does list roughly $1.9 million in expenditures.
But Murrow, the spokesperson, acknowledged to our reporter, Amanda Erickson, that this total was arrived at by adding up attorney hours spent on fending off complaints — based on the fixed salaries of lawyers in the governor’s office and the Department of Law. The money would have gone to the lawyers no matter what they were doing. The complaints are “just distracting them from other duties,” Murrow said.
Here is the line-by-line breakdown, which lists $1.9 million in expenses, but that is money that went to lawyers already on payroll as part of their regular jobs.
TPM has the three complaints still outstanding against Palin, not ones you’d think would result in a gubernatorial resignation.
Jan. 26: Two complaints filed by McLeod alleged two of Palin’s top aides misused their official positions for Palin’s personal and political gain. The complaints said then-press secretary Bill McAllister and Kris Perry — director of the governor’s Anchorage office — worked on state time to benefit Palin’s interests during and after her vice presidential quest.
…
April 27: Contends Palin is misusing the governor’s office for personal gain by securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust. The fund was recently established by supporters to help Palin pay off more than $500,000 in legal debts stemming from other ethics complaints, including troopergate. Complaint filed by Eagle River resident, Kim Chatman.
I think Rocky said it best.
When they leave in a hurry……….Help me Rocky.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
People with the ambition to devote the time and the effort to rise to high offices don’t just decide one afternoon to give it all up and go play ping-pong.
If you liked ping-pong that much you would never have made it to the governor’s office.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Alan. I am no fan of ex Gov Palin and her alledged abuse of her power, but this pales into insignificance when compared to the Owner of Fox News Rupert Murdoch. Today we finally hear how he as had politicians,and even Gweneth Paltrow phone tapped,. He as so far paid out 2 million dollars in out of court settlements, and his company Newscorp may well lose its broadcasting lience. How do you feel about this Alan ?, considering your paid by the Fox News Channel. I think Gov Palin as nothing to be concerned about comapred to Newscorp (Fox and others). I will be intersted to read your reply. How many phones does Fox News Tap?
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
The more liberals like Alan that Newscorp supports the better I like it–because it’s that much money Newscorp is NOT spending on radical rightwing neoCons.
Inot Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
So you consider it okay to turn a blind eye to Corruption, as long as its paid fore by Neocons. I can not agree with that argument, a crook is a crook, no matter what there ploitical persuasion. No wonder the world is in such a mess with financial terrorists running our banks and Newscorp dictating the agenda by there corruption.
TDro319 Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Inot:
I just heard about this. It looks to me like Fox “News” is getting ready to implode.
Fluffenburger Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
hehe …he’s kind of cute and furry
July 8th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Still doubting Palin’s motives?
Why waste your time with her? She’s a ditz. A political version of Britney Spears. One of these days she (Palin) will shave her head and finally convince you she’s just plain goofy.
This is all only one more demonstration of why we should all get down on our knees each night and thank God McCain/Palin were defeated last November. McCain wouldn’t have lasted the whole four years and we’d have been stuck with Palin in the Oval Office instead … YA BETCHA!!
RDM Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
And now we are stuck with Joe “hair extensions” Biden!
Four more years of Oboobdom, oh joy.
anonymouse Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Biden has “hair plugs”.
Palin probably has “hair extensions”. That’s something women do.
July 8th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Hey Alan, first of all you,should quit Fox Noise and head over to MSNBC they would just you.
As for Sarah Palin, she quit her job because she did not want the tax-payers money, because of the ethic charges against her and her husband and being a lame duck… Quack! Quack! Collecting a paycheck when before she is resworn in! She is a moron…
July 8th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Yaaaawwwwwwnnnnn. When will you stop with Palin. It is getting as bad as the Michael Jackson coverage. If she tries to come back into politics, then attack. For now, respect her decision to quit. This ONE site has posted over 10 different posts about Palin since the 4th! You honestly can’t see why she quit?
Epiphany Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Yeah, she quit to make millions of dollars.
Epiphany Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 2:12 am
BTW Teo, who’s forcing you to read these 10 different posts? If you don’t want to read them… then move on. Right?
July 9th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Don’t forget the $200,000 it’s going to cost to appoint an interim Lieutenant Governor.
Saving Alaskans money? Dhoh!
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:00 am
why would it cost them anymore money? It’s not like it will be an additional salary.
Daddio Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Look at the name Guido, look at the name.
BOZO!!! Hee, hee, hee. :)
July 9th, 2009 at 4:05 am
SARAH PALIN IS TRULY A GREAT AMERICAN!!
God Bless you and your family Sarah.
These liberal pinheads are full of anger, hate, and jealousy. And they consistently preach tolerance and understanding of their fellow citizens. Or do liberals only mean that when they are talking about their fellow liberals? I know exactly what and where the liberal mind is.
OldLefty Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:06 am
The liberal, is EXACTLY where the conservative mind is, whether it is the more innocent mind of the rank and file or the more cynical mind of the partisan.
liberal pinheads are NO more full of anger, hate, and jealousy than are CONSERVATIVE pinheads.
And Sarah Palin is no more or less a great American or a victim than anyone else.
Daddio Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Baseless ethics charges after baseless ethics charges. This is being done to bring her to financial ruin and to ruin a promising political career. Anyone who denies this is either blinded by severe political bias or just plain dumb.
Daddio Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I’d say that Sarah Palin is a true, and honest GREAT AMERICAN!!
OldLefty Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:25 am
some of these investigations are her own fault: She instructed her personnel board to pursue its own investigation, rather allow the legislater pursue them.
Others are brought on by common citizens, so that if this were happening to a liberal, Anyone on the right who would deny that it was right and just, “is either blinded by severe political bias or just plain dumb.”
It’s not like there is a federal perscecuter who has unlimited funds to investigate ANY blind alley, and put people in prison….
Again, you could take anyone, from any party and and say they are an equally true, and honest GREAT AMERICAN!!
Oh well, toota loo?? spelling?
TDro319 Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
“These liberal pinheads are full of anger, hate, and jealousy.”
Quick! Where’s my violin?
July 9th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Hey gotta go. You all take care.
SARAH PALIN IS A GREAT AMERICAN!!
God Bless America. God Bless Sarah Palin.
pierre Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Even the ducks gave their approval to the melodrama
of “POOR SARAH”.
Did you hear the ducks’ chant when she gave her resignation speech:
Quack- go away—- Quack-go away
quack…….quack…
Epiphany Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 10:01 am
ALAN COLMES IS A GREAT AMERICAN!! Sarah Palin? Uhhhh… not so much. If she were she wouldn’t have quit her obviously mundane not-good-enough job to serve the citizens of Alaska. But that is what Sarah is best at. Quitting whatever she’s doing at the time and moving on to something bigger and better. Now there’s actually nothing really wrong with doing that, but then don’t give us all this hogwash about how much you care about your country and community when you’re not willing to put in the time and hard work to make that happen.
God Bless America and God bless the freedom we have in our country so Alan or anyone else for that mastter can post as many commentaries as one likes about anyone or anything with all of our comments that follow. And God bless the internet too, lol.
pierre Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Amen
Kregg Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Epiphany said: Quitting whatever she’s doing at the time and moving on to something bigger and better. Now there’s actually nothing really wrong with doing that, but then don’t give us all this hogwash about how much you care about your country and community when you’re not willing to put in the time and hard work to make that happen.
K: Would this be like BO quitting his senate job after 143 days of service to ‘move on to something bigger and better’ like the presidency? Or, is this something else entirely that only conservative Republicans are prone to?
jasperjava Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Of course it’s not the same thing. What new position of service did Sarah Palin move to? Do you think that Obama should have kept his Senate seat after being elected President? Is that even constitutional?
Kregg Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Jasper, I think you missed the point.
Epiphany Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Jasperjava is right. What position has Palin moved on to in order to serve her country? Is she running/campaigning for a position now? Why the need to quit at this time, out of the blue, before her term is up when she’s not running for anything? Even Karl Rove, along with many other Republicans think it was a very bad move on her part.
Kregg, Obama spent 12 years in the Illinois state senate before he ran for US senator. He also didn’t quit his job as US senator when he ran for the nomination. Had he lost he could have returned to the senate to serve the people and complete his term.
pierre Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Hey !!, \
That’s the new line Of SEAN Hannity!- don’t
repeat it.He is an idiot,rabbid dog(a junkyard dog).
How many times did McCain leave his office to run for president?
Did Sarah leave the governorship while running for VP?
jasperjava Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 11:05 am
If Sarah Palin is a great American, then we all are.
4moreyears Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
One More Time.
In the Current Spirit of Memorials.
TODAY we are ALL Quitters.
pierre Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
No , Sarah is the lousy QUITTER.
,
TDro319 Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I don’t care if she quits, as long as she goes away.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:15 am
ALAN, et al,
In the military, we use phrases like this all the time to describe the “waste” of money/man-hours that were intended for one purpose (in this case, presumably, official gov’t duties) being used on something completely unrelated to the original intent.
In this case, the $1.9 Million was designated as the attorney’s salaries as compensation for them performing official and state-related duties. Instead, these attorneys were distracted from their official duties to pursue vindication for “frivolous ethics complaints”.
Hence the “wasting” of $1.9 Million of taxpayer money.
I’m not sure where she got the “that would’ve gone to other…” from, though…that’s quite a stretch.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Boy, you kids just don’t keep up with Alaskan politics, do ya now? Sarah had a number 3 in line for the lieutenant gov spot already approved by the legislature, but HE BAILED, so, they have to approve her latest pick. But since they’re NOT IN SESSION, they have to be called in from their vacations for a SPECIAL SESSION. That ain’t free, my friends.
I know it’s a little more complicated than “Sarah rules, liberals drool”, but try to keep up.
JaredfromTexas Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
So…what does a person bailing on his appointment have to do with Palin?
I know it’s a little more complicated than “Sarah drools, liberals rule”..but try to keep up.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 3:09 am
no I don’t keep up…because I’m not Alaskan…and I don’t pretend to be Alaskan.
July 9th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Okey dokey, let’s recap:
1) you ask a question that implies you know something about the Alaskan political process, then erroneously state it won’t cost any “additional salary”
2) imply that you care about this Alaskan expense (or lack thereof),
3)I answer it and
4) you don’t care.
Thanks for playing. Don’t forget to tip the waitress!
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
July 10th, 2009 at 4:43 am
addendum to recap.
I asked why it would cost more money because other people were saying it would cost more money…at no point did I ever say that I don’t care.
and from your answer I still don’t see any extra salary being dispended. as far as I know Alaska doesn’t pay their state senate per diem…Does Alaska pay for travel expenses when they call a session of the senate??? unless you are counting that crazy light bill for having to light up the senate building, I don’t see where you’ve answered that it will cost more money.
but I still insist that I’m not Alaskan…Don’t pretend to be Alaskan and therefore do not keep up with their politics.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:05 am
The first thing out of Palin’s mouth, standing next to John McCain, was, “Have a got a Newsflash for You” Lets just pick a fight with the media right off the bat in a National Campaign. Now, she plays the Victim Role! What did I say way back then? “Palin will play the Victim Stance well” and she has! Biting the hands that helped her or could help her? Not the Brightest Duck in the water. Each day, she makes the media, reminds me how very wonderful my fellow Americans are, in that, they didn’t elect McCain/Palin. She has made me feel, a bit, sorry for McCain. What was he thinking?
July 10th, 2009 at 4:26 am