Palin May Have Fired Aide Over Affair

The Wall Street Journal reports on another Sarah Palin firing -- one that sheds light on the way she mingled personal and political business:

Sarah Palin and John Bitney go way back. They were in the same junior-high band class. Mr. Bitney was a key aide in Gov. Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign. When she took office, she gave Mr. Bitney a job as her legislative director, and a few months later stood beside him at a news conference and praised his work.

"Whatever you did, you did it right," she told Mr. Bitney and his team.

Seven weeks later she fired Mr. Bitney for what her spokeswoman now describes as "poor job performance."

What happened in between? According to Mr. Bitney, Gov. Palin got a call from another old friend, Scott Richter, informing her that his wife, Debbie Richter, and Mr. Bitney were having an affair. Mr. Bitney had kept that secret from the governor, even as he told her of his divorce, he said.

...

When Gov. Palin was notified by Mr. Richter in July 2007, she called Mr. Bitney into her office. She already knew he was going through a divorce, and, Mr. Bitney said, he had "led her to believe there weren't going to be any more surprises."

Mr. Bitney said the governor "indicated to me that she was hurt, disappointed and upset, and that she didn't know what she wanted to do."

A few days later, Gov. Palin's chief of staff "indicated to me that I needed to leave the governor's office," Mr. Bitney said.

The Politico has more:

While Palin's office framed the departure as an "amicable" mutual decision, Bitney told Politico that Sarah and Todd Palin "were upset with me about my divorce and who I was dating, and they didn't want that in the governor's office. I wanted to stay with the governor and support the governor -- we're talking about someone who's been a friend for 30 years -- but I understood it, and I have no ax to grind over the whole thing."

Still, Bitney took a line from the "Seinfeld" character Elaine, deeming Palin "a bad breaker-upper."

Palin also fired, according to the Politico, "a campaign adviser whose mother-in-law fought Palin's legislative agenda, a local political mentor who she felt represented the "old boys' network," a police chief who she said tried to intimidate her with "stern look[s]" and a state commissioner who refused to fire her sister's ex-husband."

Comments

[LemonMeringue]

This woman is paranoid and acts out her paranoia by firing people and that is very dangerous.

[SilverFoxUna]

As I recall, McCain has similar issues with folks who disagree with him. I've been following his behavioral history as Senator on the senate floor, in conferences, hearings, foreign countries, etc., etc. His behavior is bizarre, out-of-touch, dangerous and explosive. Do we really want a President with a hot fuse and obvious signs of PTSD/cognitive disconnection and a vp with paranoia running the White House? It would appear the Republicans wouldn't mind. What about those who are still functioning in a coherent, temperate mode? Time to speak up, America!

[irisda]

There's a new scandal everyday, and it seems to excite a segment of the republican party everyday. I'm starting to think they all have comprehension problems. They'd rather blame the media (which is doing it's job and the vetting McCain hasn't done) instead of looking at the facts. I'm not sure they'd want to associate themselves with Sarah Palin. We all know that if it wasn't for her gender she wouldn't even be on the VP spot. It's a sad moment imho. All this makes me depressed. I don't understand why people are supporting her.

[McFlipFlop]

Please don't be depressed.

As long as Obama wins any one of Colorado, Virginia, or Ohio, he wins the Whitehouse. All his other states are tight.

Right now, he wins Colorado.

[AmHope]

Abuse-of-Power Palin.
Heaven help us if she gets into the White House.

[Ecoutez]

Remember Mc keeps spouting off "wait till she hits Washington­..". If these allegations have an iota of truth to them it will surely be a tragedy. for all of us.

[sandman323]

This is just like the Justice Department firings. They were fired for political reasons, but she gave citizens false reasons.

Where I come from, that is a lie.....an­other one.

[SilverFoxUna]

It's only been 10 days since here name was announced and she's already repeated at least two lies numerous times on the campaign trail (bridge to nowhere she supported in the beginning and the jet that sold at a loss to someone other than an eBay buyer as she stated in her first speech and as McCain touted her having sold it at a profit). Even when called on it, she and McCain have kept up the rhetoric. One falsehood predicated by a history of lying equals a person who has real trouble with the truth. It seems to escape their grasp because they're too busy pandering.

[SuzyDenim]

OMG. You quote politico like that's a credible source? This is like the right thinking Rush Limbaugh is an investigative journalist.

[ThunderclapNewman]

Politico is a conservative website.

[esgabel]

Pay attention to Politico--it may be conservative but Roger Simon doesn't drink the Kool-aid on either side--I grew up reading Simon in the Chicago Sun Times and I grew up very liberal. I've always felt he was a man of integrity.­..

[SilverFoxUna]

Politico is quite credible, provided you have an open mind to the truth.

[ThePublicRecord]

http://www.pubrecord.org/nationworld/312-palins-office-launched-probe-into-ex-brother-in-laws-workers-comp-claims.html

Palin's Office Launched Probe Into Ex Brother-in Law's Worker's Comp Claims

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin – collaborating with her husband Todd and several senior aides – conducted what amounted to an unauthorized investigation into suspicions that her ex-brother-in-law was faking a job-related injury as a state trooper, according to state documents, law enforcement officials and former aides to Palin.

A little-noticed passage in a transcript of a conversation between Frank Bailey, Palin’s director of boards and commissions, and Alaska State Trooper Lt. Rodney Dial shows that Palin’s office had developed information against Wooten that was turned over to the state’s worker’s compensation board, purportedly to prove that Wooten was not too sick or injured to work.

[hotwire]

Well, since he was a State Trooper, he was an employee of the state of Alaska. Any employer has every right to investigate any claim or any employee who is on workmens comp. All employers do this, some will even have their employees followed and spied on. Come on people stop with the trivial stuff and remind BO he is running against McCain not PALIN! This SMEAR CAMPAIGN against PALIN is not working!

[Mozart123]

Come on, people! If God tells you to lie, is it still a lie?

[debwarot]

LOL!

[SilverFoxUna]

Well, God doesn't lie - that's why he alone could set the standard as to what constitutes the truth.

[Fatman40]

I thought the Republicans were for small government! Seems they are for big government when it comes to how people conduct themselves in their private lives. Sounds like she wants to impose her views on everyone around her. When is she going to give interviews? What is she hiding?

[SuzyDenim]

Size is relative. We fought the revolutionary war over 10-15% tax burden. I long for those days.

I know this is hard, but think. It isn't always size, it is direction. If your government is too big, you need to start cutting (or at least reducing growth). If you do this too fast, it will hurt. If you don't do it, or let it grow quicker (like the dems want), then it will hurt more.

It's funny, she increased spending by $3.9 million for at risk mothers, and dems called that a $1.1M cut, because they wanted $5M. Then they criticize the $3.9M as wasteful big government, when they wanted it 30% larger. Oh sweet ironies, show yourselves to the dems, they aren't getting it.

[mphalen]

The dems don't talk about wasteful government spending. It's the repubs that talk about wasteful gov spending. (The war in iraq is wasteful government spending. )They consider taxes as the government being too big, not thinking about the fact that it takes money to run a country. Taxes to them means the government getting into your personal business. They are small-minded and cognitively damaged. They are too stupid to think things through. They think that the government is there toprotect the corporations and screw the people. They are descendants of Satan himself.

[TheHandyman]

I love your knee jerk comments, like the Dems want, but when pinned down you can never come up with any proof that the Dems want more government. However, the Repugs keep creating more and more Depts and appointing more and more people to do fewer things. The fact is that the US government has grown more under the the GOP than at any time in our history. And yet you keep telling the same old lie. If you were to use you brain rather than accepting the talking points you would find out that both side lie. That there is very little difference between the two parties. The Dmowon'ts are only slightly less evil than the Repugs. As long as people keep supporting these two worthless gangs of criminals nothing will change. If the train's arrival at the station results in Doom, then arguing whether you sit in the left side or the right side is an exercise in futility. I'll vote for Nader again this year as in the past. It is better to vote you conscience and loose than to win and be betrayed!

[ritah]

Yes, What are they hiding!

[hotwire]

As far as wanting to fire her sisters ex-husbsnd, who was a state trooper by the way , seems he thretened the lives of her family, was caught drinking in his patrol car while on duty, tasered his son who was only 10 years old at the time. Sounds like this idiot should be in jail, probably would be if he wasn't a COP, but then COPS don't have to live by the same rules as the rest of us.

[kdoklahoma]

mnyobpres - I watched it about a month ago...it is a really good video.

[kdoklahoma]

Palin appears to have a problem with "lying". She apparently has more than venom that spews from those "pit bull lips", lie after lie after lie. Makes you wonder what she will say next. Sad thing is, the conservative women are willing to put up with all of the lies just because she says she is a Christian. Maybe it is just me, but while she may be a Christian, she sure doesn't act the part.

[mnyobpres]

OMG! - This is too GOOD! - And, EXTREMELY SCARY!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJUCU1UH2w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

John McCain you ROCK...Thi­s is how he really believe and will take us.

[blaharumph]

thanks for the links.

[BaxterBoy]

Each new day brings a new scandal for Palin. It has become obvious she is drunk with power and will walk on anyone who get in her way disregarding the law in process. It just baffles me that most right wing conservatives just can't see. I guess ignorance is bliss.

[rsg5354]

The conservative right wing can't see because "Birds of a Feather Flock Together"

[Mozart123]

As said, if this VP gig doesn't work out, NBC will pick her up for "Sarah Palin: The Apprentice­." She'll be able to get her rocks off weekly saying "you're fired."

[DyslexicPalindrome]

Hahahaaaa.
Good one!

[ldillworth]

she knows she can't put Air Force One on ebay or fire anyone from the house and senate who don't agree with her agenda right?