Todd Palin: Wife's Clothes Shopping Spree "Out Of Our Control"

WASHINGTON — The husband of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says the Republican Party's lavish spending on her wardrobe during the presidential campaign was "out of our control." In the May issue of Men's Journal, Todd Palin was asked about the more than $150,000 that the Republican National Committee spent on clothes, accessories and beauty services for the GOP vice presidential nominee. He defended his wife, saying she was focused on preparation for her debate with Joe Biden.

"She never went to Saks, or any of that stuff," he said. "You come into a campaign late, you put all your trust into the team, you got people who are working on VP ops for a long time, and we're just focused on debate prep. I couldn't give a rat's (expletive) about clothes. Please. I mean these are my Sunday go-to-meeting jeans!"

Sarah Palin and Republican presidential nominee John McCain faced a storm of criticism over the tens of thousands of dollars spent at high-end stores to dress the Alaska governor and her family. Some of the purchases included a $75,062 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, one for $49,425 from Saks Fifth Avenue and $4,902 at Atelier, a stylish men's store.

The buys were a stark contrast to Sarah Palin's image as a "hockey mom" who calls herself part of an average, middle-class American family.

Sarah Palin has said she neither wanted nor asked for the wardrobe.

Some of the clothing was returned immediately because it was the wrong size, or for other reasons, the McCain-Palin campaign said at the time. The Republican National Committee has said the remaining items would be donated to charity.

Todd Palin told the magazine that his wife had been through tough campaigns before becoming McCain's running mate.

"You got to remember, it's not like they just plucked us off the fishing boat with scales still under our nails, you know?" he said.

Todd Palin, a champion snowmobiler racer, also told the magazine about his temporary Secret Service protection during the campaign.

"They liked cruising around with me," he said, "because we went to the Arctic Cat snowmachine factory and then drove up to North Dakota, went to a Penn State-Michigan football game, went to a NASCAR race. Rough duty, hanging out with me."

The Men's Journal issue reaches newsstands April 10.

Comments

[Amerigucci]

I really hate liars.

Silk boxers, $150/each pair, were among the clothing on Sarah Palin's wardrobe bill. Todd is saying that someone not in his family purchased underwear for him? There were suits, thousands of dollars worth of suits, for Todd alone.

And what about that $895 Louis Vuitton handbag that 7-year-old Piper was carrying around? And the clothes from the baby boutiques for little Trig?

I recall during the campaign when clothinggate broke, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, ever the Republican defender said that Sarah Palin "wasn't any fashionista", isn't interested in designer brands, etc.

Then came turkeygate, and there for everyone to see was Sarah Palin with a $300 Burberry scarf, which she had been photographed wearing prior to her joining the McCain ticket.

The only thing that kept Sarah Palin from being a "fashionista" was money, and as soon as she was given a contributor's platinum credit card, she indulged herself to the max. To the credit card's max.

[CoolwithCoolidge]

They said thanks but no thanks to the clothes.

[Syddiggers]

" Please. I mean these are my Sunday go-to-meeting jeans!"

These jeans aren't as fancy as his " Saturday lynch a former in-law State Trooper cargo pants "

[applecat]

I am going to try to forget about the dysfunctional Palin's today...well after this brief post anyway....but can you even imagine those two intellectual lightweights in Europe representing the United State of America? I have been so very proud of the Obamas this week and the dignity they have shown to the world. What a departure from the bullying Bush reign.

[Martha12]

RONFLMAO!

I'm SURE the RNC bought her daughter Piper that $1,500 Louis Vuitton bag that she drug across the tarmac!

The RNC would recognize that every 7 year old, should be able to own and abuse something that expensive.

I think Todd is going to run for governor in 2010. The Palin family is an embarrassment to Alaska, and a hillbilly joke to the rest of us!

[hippynanainblingland]

In spite of the fact that I was "shocked, shocked, I tell you!" at the lack of restraint displayed by either the RNC or Sarah in the shopping spree that clothed her and her family during the campaign, I have just a small beef with the assumption that just because Piper was dragging that $1,500 Louis Vuitton bag around the bag was actually bought for her!

Little girls all over love to pretend to be grown ups by playing with their mothers' clothes and accessories, and, logic tells me, this may very well have been the case in this instance, as well as explaining the high heels she was seen sporting during some press conference or another held in her mom's office in Alaska shortly after the election. . . not that I thought that it was OK for that kind of money to have been "invested" in the VP nominee's togs.

Be reasonable, people : When our accusations are absurd, their power diminishes. Cheers.

[xango xango]

Todd is getting ready to launch the summer of 2009 Palin Under the Bus Collection. The underwear matches the tie collection is big in Alaska these days.

[Prakosh]

They seem to have a problem with clothes this family. First there was this $180,000 campaign fiasco and then more recently poor Sarah went to that snow machine race in the ice and snow with nothing but shirt sleeves and was forced to wear that sponsor's coat because she was cold and it was freezing out. Seems like they are so poor they can't even afford a winter jacket for the gov. I guess all those ethics probes and defenses have left them so penniless that they can't even buy clothes at the second hand store and have had to resort to charity. Sad really--and them with a net worth of over a million dollars. What is this country coming to when millionaires have to depend on charity for clothing.

[trisha08]

Wow, it was terrible , says Todd. They forced us to get dressed up in those clothes every day. They held a gun to our head and said, put on these fancy duds. Then, they made little Piper carry that Vitton handbag worth thousands of dollars. Man, I just can't tell you how horrible they were to us.

[dirtfarm]

Poster kids for the hybrid-Party, somewhere between the Spanish Inquisition and pre-revolutionary French aristocracy.

[alaskanrex]

I hear it's called the "sodomite" party, and is threatening to split the republicans in half. Sort of like the divide Sarah has created among Alaskan's (she is much like the religious extremeists we so revile).

[katlade]

Just say NO.

[Raleigh Dave]

Just like Sarah, Todd is missing the point to the 150K wardrobe. Nobody would have cared how much money was spent on Sarah, it all came to a head when Sarah accused Obama of being an elitist and claimed she shopped at a consignment store.

Todd, it was her campaign of hypocrisy that got her into trouble.

[singpcf5]

So what Govenor Palin wore the clothes the RNC bought for her. Who paid for the improved make-over of Michelle Obama? And why is either wrong? The Gov. probably didn't have the means(family obligations, plus a special needs infant, or lobbyist bribes) to buy the appropriate attire that would befit the VP candidate.The clothes were bought with RNC money. don't even try to tell me what I should spend money on.

[AnnfromCA]

Normal people got that all along and were quite horrified by the press on this ridiculous meme.

There really is a Palin Derangement Syndrome.

[trisha08]

Delusional much?

Remember when Republicans went bananas when John Edwards spent $400 for a haircut? But, I guess spending 150K on clothes plus Hollywood hair and makeup is O.K. Are you grasping that amount of money? 150K!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may happy that your money was spent to doll up Palin, (That alone is really sad), but plenty of people in the GOP were outraged by this wasteful spending.

[ignorantwillyharper]

Todd seems to be the head of a grift'er family, but their good at what they do.

[Tena]

Sure it was, Todd. That's why the clothes we saw on Sarah fit her like they were made for her.

It's called "tailoring" and the person who is going to wear the clothes has to be there for it and don't try to tell me that nothing was done. Those straight skirts did not fit her like that off the rack.

Quit lying, for heaven's sake.

[AnnfromCA]

I can't believe anyone was ever stupid enough to think otherwise.

[AbeMartin]

Thanks to First Dude Todd Palin, we now have the true tale of THE ward-ROBE (soon to be made into an major motion picture starring the digitally reincarnated Richard Burton Jean Simmons (as St. Sarah, the Righteous) Victor Mature and Michael Rennie). She never visited Sacks, or Nieman-Marcus, or Barney's, or FAO Schwartz or any store except for the Wasilla Pig and Whistle Consignment Shop. She never was measured or tried on her new clothing. She never asked, "Goldarnit!! These are some expensive clothes. Shucks, me 'n' my family never seen nothin' like this at the Fairbanks Wal-Mart. How much these things cost? Who's pickin' up the bill?

Not only that those clothes were not worn by her. They also were not worn by Cindy McCain even tthough she and her Presidential-candidate husband in league with the dastardly Ed Gillespie, Roger Ailes, and Mitt Romney, ordered the clothes charged them to the NRC, released false reports to a gullible, leftist, sexist press, that they were being worn by the Vice-Presidential candidate, when indeed Cindy McCain gave them to her cleaning staff (the one's with the legal immigrant status--not Concitta or Rosalita who have been deported back to El Salvador by the Arizona INS).

Thanks, Todd-o. You are one heck of a dude/husband. Keep us posted.

[jdt1]

Wow, don't you left wing loons have anything else to talk about. Hello, your guy won. Most of this story was false and you guys know it. Your boy Gore does his fare share of wasteful spending, and lets not forget the " chosen one" the supreme spender, Barack Hussein Obama. Besides, didn't this "big story happen several months ago.

[AbeMartin]

OMG, you are absolutely right! I am a left-wing loon. Unfortunately, the Palin's have not yet learned the skill of flying below the radar. The entire family is a like a Stealth Bomber flying with its bomb bay open, while the crew believes that they are invisible.