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Sarah Palin's Inbox Reveals Possible Troopergate Smoking Guns
Lost in the hoopla surrounding the hacking of one of Gov. Sarah Palin's Yahoo! e-mail accounts are a couple of key points.
As first reported on HuffPo, the hacking incident gave Palin aides a convenient excuse to delete not one, but two of Palin's Yahoo accounts. After 27 year-old Palin assistant Ivy Frye was notified of the hacking on Wednesday morning, the compromised account (gov.palin@yahoo.com) vanished, along with the other private Yahoo account that Palin has acknowledged using for public business (gov.sarah@yahoo.com).
A public records lawsuit has been filed to release Palin's Yahoo! e-mail trail, which is thought to contain multiple e-mails pertinent to the Troopergate investigation into whether she abused her power as governor.
Also important is what exactly was leaked during the hacking.
Forget the screenshots of fairly innocuous e-mails, partial shots of Palin's inbox, two family photos, and her personal contact list. The most intriguing thing posted online was a cut-and-pasted, text-only inbox list showing subject headers, dates and senders of e-mails addressed to Palin at this account. The inbox list goes back to early August, almost a month before John McCain recklessly picked Palin as his VP.
On July 28, a bipartisan panel of Alaska legislators voted unanimously to hire an independent investigator to probe Palin and her staff over Troopergate, events set in motion by Palin's July 11 firing of DPS (Department of Public Safety) Commissioner Walt Monegan.
Top Palin aide Frank Bailey figures large in the Troopergate scandal. Bailey was placed on paid administrative leave by Palin on August 19 after an audio recording surfaced of a call Bailey had made in February pressuring Alaska state troopers to fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law Mike Wooten. Yet although on leave, Palin's inbox shows another two e-mails from Frank Bailey (using the e-mail address "ftb907@hslak.com") were received on Sept. 5.
Michael Nizich is Palin's chief of staff, and has also been implicated in and subpoenaed over Troopergate. On August 7, he sent an e-mail to Palin's Yahoo account with the subject line, "FW: CONFIDENTIAL Ethics Matter." The following week, on August 13, Palin held a press conference disclosing that in addition to Bailey's phone call in February, members of her staff had made about two dozen contacts with public safety officials about her ex-brother-in-law.
Palin at Aug. 13 press conference
Randall Ruaro serves as deputy chief of staff for Palin. On August 19, the same day Palin announced that Frank Bailey would be placed on paid leave, Ruaro sent an e-mail to her private Yahoo account titled, "FW: DPS Personnel and Budget Issues." The following day, he followed up with another e-mail, "FW: DPS Employee Draft."
At the very least, these leaked inbox glimpses all show Sarah Palin was using "gov.palin@yahoo.com" to conduct state business, which she had not previously disclosed, despite an ongoing public records lawsuit to release all e-mails related to her official duties.
She had admitted using "gov.sarah@yahoo.com" for official business, so why not reveal this second Yahoo account? If not for this week's hacking incident, it would have remained unknown to the world. Why the secrecy? Why try so hard to cover up your e-mail trail? What exactly is Gov. Palin trying to hide?
The irony is that as numerous observers have noted, relying on Yahoo! e-mail accounts instead of a proprietary, secure system means Palin's accounts have not been deleted forever. E-mail providers like Yahoo keep backups, and the e-mails could be retrieved under court order if subpoenaed as part of an investigation.
Since the McCain campaign is expending maximum effort trying to shut down the bipartisan investigation into Troopergate, one can only conclude that where there's smoke, there was probably a smoking gun or two somewhere in Palin's Yahoo e-mails.
(For more on the back story behind the hacking and the public records lawsuit in Alaska, see an earlier HuffPo post - Sarah Palin E-Mails Deleted Under Cover of Hacking Incident.)
(UPDATE 10/8 - David Kernell, 20, of Memphis, TN, was indicted yesterday on a single count of "intentionally accessing without authorization" Palin's Yahoo e-mail account. Kernell, who was arraigned today and pleaded not guilty, is the son of Tennessee state Rep. Mike Kernell, a Democratic state legislator.
But far from being a Democratic Party operative or even activist, Kernell appears to have allegedly hacked Palin's account for other reasons, describing the hacking as "just some prank to me" in a supposed first-hand account of the hacking incident. He is also a troubled individual who claims to have been hospitalized twice for depression.
In a post from June, 2003 on a blog he kept for a short time called "Apocoliptic visions," Kernell wrote:
"My name is David Kernell I am 15 a white cacasian male i live in memphis, TN. My favorite and only hobby is chess, more like an obsession. I am not afraid to say that i have acute depression and have been institutionalized twice, one at th age of 9 in Texas and one this past year. I have been strugleing with this for my entire life...")
Erik Ose is a veteran of Democratic campaigns in North Carolina and blogs at The Latest Outrage.
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I don't condone anyone hacking into the privacy of one's email. In this case, I consider this hacker to be somewhat of a Hero. The country is scratching their heads trying to figure out "Who the hell is Sara Palin"? . Wondering why is she sequestered from the majority of the media. Why she can't even deliver a straight answer while asked at a Town hall about foreign policy. So far both interviews have proven her inability to lead this country. You tube is suddenly becoming the center of intelligence on revealing Sarah Palin more than the media. Not to mention the fact that we're beginning to see the flip flops and hidden skeletons unravel. We're all so nosey when it comes to Sarah Palin and with no doubt we should be. Sometimes I wish I was that fly on her wall so I can say " AHAA, GOTCHA" lol ..Thanks to the efforts of my hacker hero the little bit of information that was leaked brought me a tad bit closer to finding out more about this mysterious hunter from Alaska. The fact that she uses a Yahoo account to discuss business and mix it up with pleasure is enough to prove something.
where's the Inquirer when you need em???
Can the people of Alaska recall Palin the same way that Davis of California was recalled?
After all what good is a Mayor who has handed over the Mayorship's obligation, to answer questions that the alaskians need answered, over to John McCain's Headquarters in Viginia.
Who is running the business over there? McCain or Palin.
Curious
I bet large crowds aren't the real reason McNixon's campaign won't allow McToken to go it alone. And probably why Iron Dog is with her so they can keep the press away from both of them. Someone from Alaska's press who knows the dirt may catch up with them.
Unstable/Unable 08
Look, she doesn't have a leg to stand on in terms of Troopergate. The good people up in Alaska know it. The evidence is pretty clear, and her lame excuses that contradict each other just make her look foolish. Which is why Hollis French just stated the obvious when he said the evidence was damning. And why the McCain campaign is trying to kill the investigation, or at least delay it until after the election.
What does not seem to be common knowledge is that there is plenty of evidence, even without the subpoenaed witnesses who didn't show up, to draw a conclusion, and it ain't good for Palin.
The public sentiment is turning against Palin. If she doesn't win this election, her political career in Alaska may be finished.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59mOukUZNUo
Everybody RUN...
HomeComing Queen Palin's got a GUN!
I did it for Johnny!
It just keeps getting better. Sounds a little like this administration....no, a LOT like this adminstration.
The firing of Monegan is described as an act to prove loyalty to the religious right,
so they could groom her for the national stage.
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/531723.html
Read and decide for yourself, her story has changed so many times,
who can wonder now? it's America, we can vet can't we?
Obama-Biden 08
Very interesting.
What is it with the Republicans and missing e-mails. If you're going to conduct unlawful business,go back to the old school pen and paper. At least you can burn it,just ask tricky dicky c.
WHEN are some of these tactics of the GOP, both on State and particularly federal levels, going to start facing prison time. I am an attorney, and question WHY nobody is facing obstruction of justice charges, destruction of evidence (a felony in my state), or even contempt for outright refusal to comply with subpoenas. Are there no leaders or prosecutors with the balls to combat the absolute destruction of the rule of law. In the county wherre I live, the US Attorneys' office has no qualms whatsoever in prosecuting political fugures who break the law.
Do the spineless leaders like Pelosi and reid (twop of the weakest political figures in recent history) represent the Democratic party? Because if so, if this is to become the future of our party, then perhaps its time to call that party over, and form something with some backbone.
Come on, get with it, David - the rule of law is so 20th century
;-)
That's the most scary, cogent thing I've read on this site in a month...
Hmm no emails from the radical Alaskan secessionist party AKIP? check out an interview with them on her
http://newsone.com/elections/article/akip-interview-on-palin
You would probably find those on Todd's email lists.
After all, he had to leave the group to promote Sarah's run into politics, but that doesn't mean sideline participation wasn't included.
As much influence as he had in her administrations, I'd think there'd be a goldmine there!
These actions, on the Repubs part, have certainly created the appearance of a whitewash and coverup. I don't understand why the interference by the McCain campaign doesn't constitute obstruction of justice in a bipartisan state investigation. Indeed many of the primary movers behind this case have been from the Republican side of the aisle. Where do they have legal standing in this case? Who else has standing to either challenge or join in? Add this to their propensity to prevaricate, obfuscate and dissemble and pretty soon even other conservatives start to question your integrity. Turn on the lights, John, and let's have at least the appearance of a little straight talk.
ABC: New Docs Undermine Palin's Newest Trooper-Gate Story
An internal Alaska government document obtained by ABC News shows that Sarah Palin's staff authorized a trip by then-commissioner Walt Monegan to Washington, DC -- the trip she has since claimed was unapproved and the basis for his firing
www.abcnews.com/politics
Not only that, but the trip she says she wouldn't approve was to lobby for increased funding for fighting sexual assault----- so Gov. Pro-Woman accused Monegan of insubordination for trying to fight rape, a crime Alaska leads the nation in.
She thinks this is a more acceptable explanation then pressuring him to fire her sister's ex?!!
A Palin venting site: http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople
Everyone, please remeber, the E in email, stands for evidence
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