Palin Asked To Release Husband's Emails

The Juneau Empire reports:

Can Gov. Sarah Palin legally keep e-mails between her husband and her administration from being released to the public?

That's the question the lawyer of Andree McLeod, a self-described Republican watchdog, put to the governor last week in an appeal to disclose e-mails between her administration and her husband, Todd.

Those e-mails could shed light on how Gov. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, runs the state. And they could also help reveal what role Todd Palin, who the state Legislature's special investigator called a "central figure" in the governor's firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, played in his wife's administration.

...

In redacting or denying the request for e-mails, the governor's office mostly cited Gov. Palin's right to a "deliberative process privilege," a law designed to let public officials receive candid advice from their staff and consultants regarding matters of the state without fear of that advice going public.

But McLeod's lawyer, Donald Mitchell, said Gov. Palin waived that privilege when Todd Palin was included in her staff's e-mails. Documents released to one member of the public have to be available to all members of the public, he said.

The Anchorage Daily News delves into how Palin uses a private email account (and two BlackBerrys) to keep some work emails private.

Moments after Gov. Sarah Palin's first speech as Republican John McCain's running mate, she sat with her kids backstage, thumbing one of the two BlackBerrys that are always with her. You can see them in photographs from that day on the campaign blog of one of McCain's daughters.

The tech-savvy governor has one of the devices (which allow users to read and send e-mails) for state business, another for personal matters, but those worlds intertwine.

Palin routinely uses a private Yahoo e-mail account to conduct state business. Others in the governor's office sometimes use personal e-mail accounts too.

The practice raises questions about backdoor secrecy in an administration that vowed during the 2006 campaign to be "open and transparent."

Sound familiar?

Comments

[TheStudentPundit]

So first it was "we have nothing to hide." Now it's all hush hush, What are they hiding is now the real question. Can anyone say October Surprise?

http://thestudentpundit.blogspot.com/

[taotebjp]

There is not a judge or lawyer in the world who will not laugh out loud at the McCain-Palin campaign's assertion that government e-mails cc'd to the non-state employee husband of the governor are protected by the executive privilege. The inclusion of the "first dude" om the circulation list of the e-mails DESTROYS the executive privilege entirely by circulating the e-mails beyond the state-employee advisors.

[Renda]

If you did nothing wrong, why not just release the E-mails?

[CTtransplant]

Could be the only reason they are making this refusal is because of the free press it will get them...after all - this article is here, isn't it?

[margardner]

Palin is a novelty, even my neighbor says she's already sick of her. Isn't so sure now how trustworthy
she is. As days go by, it seems Mrs. Palin is losing her shine.

[KenNY]

Wouldn't the communication from Sarah to Todd be priveleged since it is between a woman and her husband. I think the Alaskian lawyer is stretching to say that Todd is public when clearly he belongs to the more restricted category of spouse of a person being investigated.
Sarah is no better or no worse than the other politicians in Washington DC. She obviously is not the most qualified person to be the republican vice president, however selection of the vice president is a flawed process since the president gets to choose them, subject to approval of key stakeholders in the national party. Consequently Palin won the vice president by having the right attributes (no pun intended) such as pro-lfe, NRA, with the minimum amount of baggage (i.e. scandals, etc.)
I know people do not want change the Constitution. However I think a lot of problems encountered in the Bush regime would have been prevented if the Office of Attorney General was elected separately by the people. With the system we have now, the president is not really accountable to anyone once he/she is elected. For vice president, wouldn't it be better to select the person who came in 2nd in the primary as the vice presidential candidate?

[CTtransplant]

Spousal privilege does not apply here. Palin is the Governor, and her husband is not a government employee. Therefore, Palin should not have been sending her husband government business in emails. Do you follow?

[tm68]

You know, I had this conversation with my husband, who is in the military. He has had job knowledge that he could not share with me because it was not appropriate to do so- security clearances and all. The same should have held true for the Palins. If you want to come home and complain about how hard your day was at the office to your hubby- that's fine. But you don't COPY your husband on emails that have to do with policy. HE was NOT elected into office.

I think this was an identical situation to what she did as mayor when she had to hire someone to basically run Wasilla for her. She couldn't do that this time and I suppose by the time the GOV title was bestowed, Todd was just as drunk with power as she was.

We have no guarantee she is going to adhere to whatever security clearance she is going to be subjected to as potential VP and I shudder to think of her going home to Todd and spilling govermenment secrets and putting our enire nation at risk.

[identify]

clear as crystal: why is her husband (a private citizen) being cc:ed on official business emails. why are they using 'non-official' email accounts to conduct official government business...

lastly but not leastly: all emails are stored and archived on several email servers between sender and recipient..emails can always be subpoenaed.. how could you not know that? amateurs....

if we busted out a quick powerpoint with all of her 'controversies', we'd have a sequel to 'an inconvenient truth'... these people...

[screamers]

looks as though Todd was running the show... copied on emails etc. I would be fired if I copied my husband with company business. If they have nothing to hide then let the truth set them free. Also now that they are both on campaign trail who is caring for the 4 month old. Is he in foster care? May as well along with the other kids.

[CTtransplant]

What do they have to hide indeed! Could it be Palin doesn't want the public to know that Alaska maybe hired the wrong Palin? That Todd, and not Sarah, is the one running the office? Or is it that she doesn't want to risk being impeached for abuse of power as most of us suspect?

[Audrey704]

She has vowed to reform Washington politics, to stop back door dealing, to bring transparency to the political process....Why not follow through her initial welcome of the investigat­ion...Brin­g transparency to her administration, after all the Alaska State House republicans have the majority what does she have to fear? Do you think it could have been when someone advised her that her husband and no business being involved in State business....that she started to put up the blockade....what is worse The fact that she may have violated laws and political ethics? or the fact that she didn't know she was doing it?

[RhinoCrossing]

At least we know McCain isn't hiding any emails. In true dinosaur fashion, he doesn't know what the internet is yet.

[mainemomma]

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/15-09-2008/106357-voting-0#

Ok. this is a russian news agency... so put on a filter, but the title is The Perils of Viscral Voting. Sounds like people overseas are very observant. The question is why American's can't see this?

[CTtransplant]

mainemomma, Great article! Thanks SO much for sharing it!

[BuzzingAlong]

What does Mr Palin do for a living? Or is she the breadwinner?

[RhinoCrossing]

He smiles.

[babs101]

My guess is he's paid the going rate for stud services.

[edwarvir]

How do you come into the race and start dictating what you will and will not do.
That makes no sense to me at all. She should be made to release her
tax statements, her medical and mental records, her husband e-mails. We are
not going to give her a free pass john . You also have a few records
that should be realeased medical mental War records should all be released and
let the American people see them. What the heck are you people hiding?

[Audrey704]

While Palin claimed approximately $16,000 dollars in Per Diem expenses some of which while she was at home in Wasilla..(may not have been alloweable)...The family claimed over $40,000 dollars of travel experiences for hubby and children...and it is not clear if they acknowledged the per diem pay on their taxes...and some reports indicate all the family claims may not have been allowable either but were paid.

[AmericanVoice]

Those emails, will prove the downfall of this race for the GOP, we as the American voting public need her to give authorization or the courts need to order release of that information, if she has nothing to hide, take if off the slate right now. They trying to cover up this story, this incident will be Big Breaking News soon- wait and see. The real Sarah & Todd Palin, please stand up...

[artist66]

Hey - if the governor of NJ doesn't have to do it, why should anyone else?

[BuzzingAlong]

artist66: The governor of NJ is not running for vice-president. Get it?

This is a prime example if the failure of the school system in this country.

[AnnieinOR]

what are you hiding???? you do realize you're just drawing more attention to troopergate don't you?

[Bitsko]

I caught one of those Access Hollywood-type gossip shows this evening, and half the program was about Palin and her scandals. Looks like the warped sensationalist press is doing the good work that the "legitimate" press won't do. Then again, how many folks who watch the gossip shows actually vote? Anyway, it's kinda interesting....

[CTtransplant]

More free publicity