A newly-released book written by a former aide to Sarah Palin paints an unflattering portrait of the one-time governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee.
Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years focuses on the time that Frank Bailey worked with Palin on her 2006 election campaign for governor in Alaska, as well as in her role as Sen. John McCain's running mate during the last presidential election. The gossip-packed text stems from thousands of emails that Bailey retained from the time he spent by Palin's side.
The AP reported on Monday:
The Alaska attorney general's office has said it's investigating Bailey's use of the emails. Executive ethics laws bar former public officials from using information acquired during their work for personal gain if the information hasn't been publicly disseminated.
The state has yet to release thousands of emails that Palin sent and received during her 2 1/2 years as governor. Bailey's attorney has said Bailey took "great care" to ensure his writings were consistent with legal requirements.
Politico reported on Tuesday on attempts from Palin aides to push back against some of the details disclosed in the new book.
...two sources close to Palin disputed several of the anecdotes in the book, including his claims of illegal coordination with the Republican Governors Association and that he has seen Palin’s deposition in the so-called “Troopergate” case, which is sealed. Palin’s camp also insists that some of the Palin emails printed in the manuscript are framed to distort events — for example, the emails Bailey includes to show the former Alaska governor’s reaction to her oldest daughter’s pregnancy are about rumors that circulated before Bristol actually became pregnant.
The sources who spoke with Politico also pointed to questionable aspects of Bailey's own past and suggested the cover of his book was distorted to feature him alongside the former governor.
The AP notes:
Bailey confesses to "a ton of mistakes" and speaks of a return to God; he said his church has become a sanctuary and that he's reconnected with his family. He said writing the book -- which itself has generated controversy -- was cathartic.
Nevertheless, Bailey told the AP on the eve of the release of his book that he's not bitter.
"Yeah, there were some tough, tough times but hopefully I've learned from some of that," he said. "Time will tell."
Below, a slideshow highlighting some of the revelations in the book:
