McCain Campaign Stonewalling Palin-Rape Kit Questions

Dorothy Samuels at the New York Times dug into the story that Wasilla charged rape victims for forensic exams and rape kits while Sarah Palin was mayor -- or at least she tried to. Apparently the McCain campaign is stonewalling:

If Ms. Palin ever spoke out about the issue, one way or another, no record has surfaced. Her campaign would not answer questions about when she learned of the policy, strongly supported by the police chief: whether she saw it in the budget and if not, whether she learned of it before or after the State Legislature outlawed the practice.

All the campaign would do was provide a press release pronouncing: "Prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault is a priority for Gov. Palin."

There's more circumstantial evidence that Palin knew of the policy, which Samuels lays out below. You can read her full piece here.

Eric Croft, a former Democratic state lawmaker who sponsored the corrective legislation, believes that Wasilla's mayor knew what was going on. (She does seem to have paid heed to every other detail of town life, including what books were on the library's shelves.)

The local hospital did the billing, but it was the town that set the policy, Mr. Croft noted. That policy was reflected in budget documents that Ms. Palin signed.

Mr. Croft further noted that right after his measure became law, Wasilla's local paper reported that Ms. Palin's handpicked police chief, Charlie Fannon, acknowledged the practice of billing to collect evidence for sexual-assault cases. He complained that the state was requiring the town to spend $5,000 to $14,000 a year to cover the costs. "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer," the chief explained.

"I can't imagine any police chief, big city or small, who would take on the entire State Legislature on a bill that passed unanimously and not mention to their mayor that they're doing this," Mr. Croft said. Even if he didn't inform her, the newspaper article would have been hard for her to miss.

Comments

[picval]

America used to be a bright shinning Star! Now we are not! This woman is a crack pot! No offence to the great People of Alaska but what were you thinking! You should impeach her NOW! Woman of the United Stated, this is what the Republicans give us? What the world must think, a pretty barbie doll with NO CREDABILITY AND NO EXPERENCE.

[munki]

PLEASE... remove gender comment...
but otherwise... thank you...
because not all American women are...
soap opera characters...

[AlaskanSwimmer]

I'm an Alaskan. Most Alaskans weren't thinking with the correct brain, or head. Palin followed an immensely unpopular governor, and people liked her pretty face. She's never stated anything in a complete coherent sentence and takes a liking to sound bites and glittering generalities. And lots of hand gestures.

Palin represents the 'dumbing of America,' and certainly the 'dumbing of Alaska.' But hey, pass out free money and everyone will forget just how stupid she really is.

I didn't vote for her, and never would. I prefer politicians to be smarter than me. She's not.

[LeaderofMen]

The best thing that Palin's selection did for the lower 48 was to let the entire nation know that AK denizens are the largest welfare recipients in the country.

[ldillworth]

Once again I say she either knew and was complicit, or didn't and was completely incompetent.

Further, "I just don't want anymore burden on the taxpayers" We enter into society in order to recieve the protection of lives and property from the government. When that government fails to protect you, it is their duty and responsibility to make it right, i.e. pay for the exam to gather evidence in order to bring your assailant to justice.

Even/especially if that exam includes a pill that will prevent you from the further trauma of gestating, birthing, and maybe even raising your attacker's spawn.

[bknott]

Look, I hate Palin, but I read on Slate that this rumor had been debunked. They weren't charging rape kits to the victims, but they were trying to bill it to the victim's insurance companies. However, this was an Alaska-wide practice, and this was also the practice in a couple of other states (Illinois was one of them) until the last few years.

If this is not absolutely Palin's fault, let's drop it. There are innumerable, fully documented reasons to vote against Palin. We don't have to be swift-boaters, like the other side.

[MilesTone]

The effect of billing their insurance companies is most likely that their premiums would increase, thus, they would ultimately end up paying the cost for the kits, albeit not directly.

It doesn't matter how they choose to recoup the cost of the kits, the fact of the matter is this is not something that should have been an issue. You don't traumatized and already traumatized rape victim, by showing more concern for recovering monies for a rape kit.

Stop making excuses for Palin and her corrupt administration in Alaska.

[Deirdre89]

I agree there are plenty of other reasons to vote against McCain-Palin, but here's why I think this issue deserves more attention:
- Palin describes herself as pro-women and pro-family & this goes absolutely against that
- If the victim has insurance, she'll still have to pay the deductible & co-insurance portions
- If the victim doesn't have insurance, the victim pays the whole bill.

What I've read is that this wasn't Alaska-wide; there were a few towns that did this. And Wasilla was the only holdout when the Legislature pushed the ban on charging the victim. The Sheriff fought the legislation for months, and as other posters have said, given the tight control Palin had over her staff and any conversations with the media, she had to have known about this.

[ldillworth]

I think you need to do some more research. Her city paid for them, until the new police chief cut that area of the budget in half (it came out of a "miscellaneous" fund the previous mayor and previous police chief used to pay it). Individuals were then billed either when they didn't have insurance, or when their insurance company wouldn't pay.

[SteveMDFP]

Evidence collection isn't health care. Yes, the town arranged for health insurance to be billed. This doesn't make the practice OK, it means the town and hospital were engaged in FRAUD.

Health insurance fraud is a federal felony under HIPAA. The statute of limitations is 6 - 10 years, depending on circumstances. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison, per incident. The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate health insurance fraud.

If Palin knew of the procedures (it just isn't plausible that she wasn't), then she is guilty of Conspiracy to commit health insurance fraud, even if she was oblivious to the criminal nature of the act.

If she were under oath and questioned, I'm confident she would now plead the fifth.

If anyone thinks that evidence collection in a rape case is the same as what would be done for medical care, that person would be wrong. Evidence collection involves such things as DNA analysis to identify the perpetrator--this is NEVER a part of clinical care.

Felonies were committed under Palin's authority. The moral outrage we all feel is really just a footnote to the real scandal: FRAUD

Steve

[ev2256]

You think everyone has insurance?

[Ofactor]

OH MY GOD.....HAS ANYONE SEEN THESE 2 WEBSITES.. I AM SHOCKED

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

www.therealmccain.com -THIS ONE SHOWS HIS REAL TEMPERMENT

[munki]

my jaw dropped...

[whit4brains]

Rumor is that she didn't want the city budget covering the morning after pill which is given to rape victims to prevent pregnancy after a rape. It is included in the rape kit. Her beliefs believe that this is a form of abortion.

[whit4brains]

I am not saying that I know what Pa lin "believes" just that some, me included, think that due to her stated extreme views on birth control and abortion that it is a possible reason why she didn't want city funds covering the cost of rape kits since they include the morning after pill to help prevent pregnancy.

[SPiHC]

Just because the McCain campaign is stonewalling the press, it doesn't mean you can't ask questions.

If you had the opportunity to ask Sarah Palin one question that she was forced to answer, what would it be?

Ask you own question, or vote for others.

www.OneQuestionForPalin.com

[LaFilleEnRose]

If she cared, as she says she did, about rape victims and violence against women, she'd have known. I mean, with Alaska having the highest rate of such incidents, including murder of women, all she can claim as governor -- and as a woman -- is that she increased funding for women's shelters. Nothing else to help stop the violence against women? More shelters is a good thing. But what was the percentage of dollars vs before. What else did she do. Biden writes the Violence Against Women Act. That's something concrete. What orders did she give the police in regard to this abuse. A no tolerance policy for example. Arrests made at the slightest hint of violence? Public Service Announcements? A law requiring those who have witnessed abuse of someone else to come forward? What the hell did she do? We hear only that her police chief charged victims for their forensic rape kits? If she didn't know about such an ugly, inhuman practice, SHE DAMN WELL SHOULD HAVE. If she cared about this issue, SHE WOULD HAVE KNOWN. Why wasn't this issue a top, TOP priority? Where's the evidence of THAT?

[Bevo1984]

I truly believe that Gov. Palin's approval of a budget that made rape victims pay for their own rape kits is one of the main reasons the Republicans desperately want to cancel the VP debate as she would have to go up against the author of the Violence Against Women act. The mayor of the only city in Alaska that charged rape victims for rape kits debating the U.S. senator who stood up for every woman who was a victim of violence.

[porkarina]

I cant think of another similar situation, where the police expect he victim to pay for cost of investigation. It's not as if they charge for fingerprint kits, when they investigate a break in, or photographs. For that matter they don't bill you for gas to sent a car out.

So the fact that in this ONE case they expected victims to pay for materials used in doing a routine investigation, suggests that it was not just a simple case of trying to economize.

[whit4brains]

It was so they couldn't give out the morning-after pill to prevent the victims from getting pregnant because she believes this is a form of abortion...or at least that is what a lot of people believe, me included.

[Doug77]

Oh, I see, thats what she "believes", I understand now. What are those rape victims complaining about?

[whit4brains]

PLEASE LET ME CORRECT MYSELF. I DO NOT believe the morning after pill is a form of abortion. I was saying that I believe as some do that Pal in's reasons for not wanting the city budget to pay for rape kits was because they include the morning after pill. This is not confirmed but some think that because she has extreme views on birth control and abortion in cases of rape and incest think this could be the reason.

I am VERY PRO-CHOICE and do not believe anyone should tell any woman what she can or cannot do with her own body. And I think no woman should be charged for her rape kit and should have access to all forms of birth control.

[TroubleNYC]

"That policy was reflected in budget documents that Ms. Palin signed."

That says two things. She either knew about it and signed off, or didn't know about it and signed off. Neither one is good.

[Yermammy]

Ah HA! That's what's happening now. We're getting raped and told we have to pay for the kit! Starting to make sense! GO USA! USA! USA! (Homer Simpson).

[WFV]

She is an absolute mess. It will be funny when she returns to Alaska in defeat and all her dirty laundry has been aired. She will not be re-elected to her post in Alaska either.

I still ask: Where are those tax returns, Sarah? What about those medical records?

These are questions you don't even have to answer (or not). Just cough up the paper.....

[bostontea]

Perhaps Palin's aired dirty laundry will serve as reason for her to be re-elected as governor in a landslide. It is her extremism, religious and otherwise, that helped get her in office in the first place, implying that voters in Alaska liked and chose her for this very reason. Extremists have a tendency to excuse indiscretions as long as their cause gets served, and sometimes gain greater pride because of the indiscretions. Not that such a behavioral tendency would affect solely those who reside in the upper northwest, but the cold must slow down the brains of many Alaskan residents.

[Grissom1001]

Palin is like a robot doll that you feed infiormation into and she spews it out her pie hole. No comprehension and after watching her interviews? I am amazed that she was able to handle the slight of hand that had to be required to run Alaska for the short time that she did....and makes me look VERY close at Todd Palin as the person who REALLY ran Alaska. Palin for VP? ONLY if we want to see the end of our contry because this woman? Well send us into war using religion as her shield and not as the comfort of a Nation.

[HotChiliPepper]

Grissom: That is exactly what I told a co-worker yesterday. She reminds me of a "See-and-Say" toy with about ten programmed responses. McSane's camp just pulls the string now and again to release her nasally nonsensical blather.
http://www.truthout.org/video/greg-palast-rove-has-already-fixed-2008-election
The vid of voter fraud has me terrified that Ice Witch Barbie and Decrepit Ken will be our "sElected" representatives.
Thanks for the visual of Palin's spewing pie hole, loved it!

[levibatgirl]

palin = misogynist

What kind of real woman would allow this?

She makes me sick!

[hugs4u]

I give her a pass on whether she knew or not. She has proved to be an airhead, so even if she had read it , I don't think she would of understood it.