Okay first off didn't Sarah Palin make the claim that these expenses were more like $500, 000? (Mrs. Palin said defending herself against the complaints has cost more than $500,000, and she set up a legal defense fund to cover the costs.) And based on that didn't SarahPac just run some huge fundraiser for the Governor? So does this mean that she lied to her supporters in order to raise more money then she needs? Why yes it does, doesn't it? (Okay, okay, okay, I sort of jumped the gun here and confused the cost to the Personnel Board with the legal costs that Sarah Plain incurred fighting the ethics charges. So all I can say for myself is........oops? However it is still reasonable to assume from this report that the majority of Palin's supposed $600,000 of legal fees were incurred to defend herself against the complaint she filed against herself concerning Troopergate.)
Most of the expenses --$187,797 -- appear to have come as a result of the "Troopergate" investigation of Palin that the governor herself initiated. Palin did so because, she contended, the Legislature's investigation on the matter was politicized and she was seeking the appropriate venue to deal with the allegations.
So let me get this part straight. Almost two-thirds of the $300,000 that the ethics charges actually cost Sarah Palin were due to the ethics charge she filed against herself to cover up the fact that the Branchflower report had found her guilty. So the $187,787 was to pay for the Personnel Board to find her innocent. THAT is what her supporters are now paying for! (Okay essentially this whole paragraph is wrong. It should read that "$187,797 of the $300,000 that Alaskans paid to investigate her numerous ethics charges were from the one that SHE filed against herself".)
That figure could also include the related claim by the Public Safety Employees Association that Palin or her staff improperly disclosed information from personnel records of state trooper Mike Wooten. The personnel board investigator dismissed the PSEA complaint.
Well of course they did. When has the Personnel Board EVER stood up to Governor Palin? I think it is time to launch a serious investigation of this board and find out just how far up Palin's butt they really are. (This sentence still makes a great deal of sense. I hereby dub thee the ONLY completely correct sentence in this whole post. Congratulations sentence!)
So for any of you Palin-bots who are joining us late in the program, let's do a quick over view shall we?
- Sarah lied about needing $500,000 for her legal bills. It was really only $300,000. (As stated earlier this is incorrect. Please pay it no heed.)
- Two thirds of her legal bills are due to an investigation she launched against herself. (Still possibly true but not proven by this ADN article.)
- And you are an unbelievable morons! (Okay this sentence is still pretty accurate.)
I am so glad I could help you to see the light.
Now run little Palin-bot, run like the wind toward the sweet smell of freedom! (I still suggest that you take this course of action because I am sure that if, and when, we ever see the total that Palin paid to fight these ethics charges that the majority of them will in fact be self inflicted.)
When you blog everyday you are bound to screw up once in a while. Most of the time they are small spelling errors or incorrect dates, but sometimes they are huge fuck ups that can be seen from space. This is one of those fuck ups.
So I could have simply erased the post and pretended it never happened, confusing a few people but essentially hiding my mistake from the majority of visitors. But that seemed cowardly to me, so instead I thought I would just admit my mistake and take my lumps.
So any criticisms leveled at me concerning this post (That don't reveal any private information about myself or any other commenter or blogger) I will approve.
Update to the Update: By way of apology for being a very unprofessional and careless blogger I offer you this unflattering peek into Sarah Palin's crazed psyche courtesy of CBS news and her own batshit e-mails. Have fun!
Gryphen, didn't the figure get revised upward by someone to $600K?
ReplyDeleteGryphen - wouldn't these be the costs to the state, not Palin's personal expenses?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking along the same lines as leu2500 -- these expenses as stated appear to be expenses incurred by the personnel board itself. Therefore, these expenses are paid by the State of Alaska.
ReplyDeleteIt is worth noting (pointing out?) that if they say the majority of their expenses are directly attributed to the Troopergate issue, it could reasonably be believed that the majority of Bible Spice's expenses (for which the fundraiser is being held) are also related to Troopergate. My guess would be that that total would be well over 2/3, as she would have very little legal legwork to be done for dismissed ethics complaints.
So yes, the article is a vindication for evil liberal bloggers, but I think you've put the wrong spin on it.
And most definately there is cause to wonder just how far up Bible Spice's arse the ethics/personnel board is, but there's precious little chance that that will come out, not until her halcyon days as gov are over, if even then...
SMR
Slow down there, pardner. I think you may be confused. The costs to the Personnel Board (state cost) would not be related to Palin's personal expenses for legal representation. Apples and oranges, my friend.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was VanFleas that upped it to $600K recently. He & Palin have been tossing the $500K since the beginning without ever providing evidence
ReplyDeleteOMG! CBS News is reporting that e-mails are finally being released - this story has Palin's e-mails from Oct. during the campaign and include AIP connection of Todd Palin - VERY JUICY and damaging, a MUST READ:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/01/politics/main5128672.shtml?tag=stack
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/01/politics/main5128672.shtml?tag=stack
ReplyDeleteDAMAGING e-mails released by CBS news, must see!
Yes the day before the big "begathon" Kristin Cole said the number was $ 600,000. Sarah palin said she owed millions. Another LIE from the narcissistic sociopath.
ReplyDeleteWhen will Palinbots realize they are being used and lied to. She uses and lies to everyone, no hesitation or remorse. She is certifiably insane.
Great post, Gryphen. LOL
ReplyDeleteI thought $500K was a bit much, like a random figure just thrown out.
No... the state's bills and Palin's bill for her attorny are two seperate things.
ReplyDeleteIt's times like this when I realize I may be paying too close attention to what's happening in the Palin admin.
Come on, guys. Gryphen corrected himself in his article. Pay attention.
ReplyDeleteOkay. I'll pay better attention.
ReplyDeleteSorry.
P.S. I actually admire the fact that Gryphen hasn't followed this as closely as I have. Seriously.
I read the CBS article and I must say I am appalled. This woman is the most frightening creature to enter the political scene. I have been following the Alaskan bloggers for a few months and I do appreciate all the info.
ReplyDeleteMy assessment of what Palin is doing is using President Obama and what he does as a pseudo-mentor (and obviously without his knowledge and consent).
Examples for my observation:
1. trip overseas
2. CIC vs. governor with pseudo control over National Guard
3. Obama's physical fitness (basketball vs. running)
4. Healthy living ie. Michelle Obama's White House garden
In my estimation, she is using Obama's style to get what she intensely covets.
Catherine you are so right and it is very very creepy! Look at what she said at the end of the CBS article. Maybe it's me but eating moose, caribou and elk just sounds gross and not healthy to me. She IS trying to emulate Obama and she is practically stalking him. Note he is mentioned on every one of the press releases.
ReplyDeletePali is starting to give me the creeps. I just got the chills thinking of her coniving approach to 2012. She's nuts)
What a hoot! Gryphen, your integrity in accepting responsibility and correcting your blog is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Alaska Fund Trust states is it cost the complaints have cost the SOA more than $1 million dollars and cost Gino more than half a million to defend against. So if she inflated the state costs by 70% did she do the same to her own?
ReplyDeleteYet another falsehood.
All the dirty little secrets are coming out. People in the know are slowly revealing what they know. Now we just need Levi to tell what he knows. You can see it all unraveling right in front of her face. Karma, Sarah, Karma.....
ReplyDeleteOT The statement Palin made about racing President Obama was mentioned at the press conference today. Gibbs was asked about it.
ReplyDeleteSee, she has a reason for her madness. Ain't she special! Magazines, blogs, newspapers, tv news and even the President's press secretary's press conference.
Wow, I had a little sarah salad going on there!
ReplyDeleteWhat the Alaska Fund Trust states is:
The complaints have cost the SOA more than $1 million dollars and cost Gino more than half a million to defend against.
If she inflated the cost to the state by 70% did she do the same to her own costs?
Yet another falsehood.
http://www.thealaskafundtrust.com/
The issue is that SP said it cost the state of Alaska millions to investigate these complaints. This was stated in her press release in June about the dismissal of the 15th ethics complaint.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know $300,000 does not equal millions.
Gryphen you are getting confused:
ReplyDeleteThe $300K is the cost to the state Personnel Board for hiring all those "independent investigators" (hired by the executive branch) to rubber-stamp the repeated dismissals and the $600K are Sarah's personal attorney costs. You know. $600K to defend against ethics complaints that never made it to court. Riiiight.
In all cases the brunt of the responsibility for these costs is Sarah herself. Her self-disclosure in 'Troopergate' and her 'Travelgate' problems, both costing the most, stand out as highlights.
-Laz
http://omfgalaska.blogspot.com/
You haven't let the facts get in the way of your presentation of gross conspiracy about the parentage of Governor Palin's 5th child, why bother correcting this latest evidence of your derangement?
ReplyDeleteFolks, make no mistake about it. Sarah Palin is mentally ill. Yes, she is stalking our President and First Lady. She is crazy.
ReplyDeleteI would think that the cost of dealing with ethics complaints for a state would be more expensive for a state though the simple fact of big buracacy. On the other side Sarah's attorney has spent a lot of time trying to dismiss all of the complaints using leagal manuvers vs. average citezens writings up of the complaints. I suspect that many of the ethics complaints would have been valid if they were written up by an attorney. He had them dismissed on technicalities. If she has spent that much money her attorney has spend a lot of money getting "silly ethics complaints" dismissed.
ReplyDeleteThat’s what I like about you Gryphen. You took the high road. Admirable.
ReplyDeleteOMG.... I am so loving this. That Vanity Fair article sure opened up a whole can of worms.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, don't be too hard on yourself. Who wouldn't be confused with all the made-up numbers thrown out by Sarah-land. In a sense you were being too generous: GINO was not required to spend ONE PENNY "defending herself" against one single Personnel Board matter, not even the incredibly-costly-to-TAXPAYERS one she initiated herself. She chose to hire a personal lawyer, as I understand it because the already huge contract costs to the state (not GINO) for the Troopergate attorney-investigator would not allow her & Dud to claim any personal lawyer-client privilege against disclosure. Hiring a personal attorney was a CHOICE whose costs GINO should bear.
ReplyDeleteWho needs a personal attorney to fight "frivolous" complaints anyway--and surely she must count her own costly complaint (to the taxpayers) as "frivolous"? Therefore wasn't filing a "frivolous" complaint against herself a knowing abuse of process by GINO at taxpayer expense?
Watching Hardball last night, a Democratic strategist (I think Chris Kofinis?) was commenting on the neverending Palin soap opera and VF article. When Chuck Todd asked him if this was the last we've heard of her, he just laughed, and said that there's alot more to come out. This CBS article is just the tip of the iceberg. The skeletons in that closet of hers have pushed their way out, and even Sarah can't do damage control. Meghan McCain has written a Sarah chapter in her upcoming book, and all the McCain staffers are pointing their fingers at her.
ReplyDeleteIt will not be long before a total meltdown...pass the popcorn.
Sarah is so tragic/comic...it's like she reaches a new low EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
there plenty to chew on with this. ADN reported that the complaints cost the state MILLIONS, and that was never refuted so it looks like they inflated the costs to the state by a mere 700% or so. MOre if we subtract the cost of the self inflicted complaint...Also...Why is scary's personal legal bill ALLEGEDLY 2x as much the cost to the state? is van flea THAT expensive?
ReplyDeleteMore drama, lies, and obfuscation.
DLO!
She lied about Willow at the game. Lied about salmon stocks for the winter, lied about Mr Tucker, lied about her boo-boo on her finger, hid her new hire comm dude, lied about toad and the AIP...Inhale...LIE....Inhale LIE....
ReplyDeleteEverybody makes mistakes. The lesson here is that you corrected your mistakes instead of erasing them or concocting an elaborate cover-up. Your readers appreciate that about you. And it is still true, and always will be, that the bulk of the cost was incurred by Sarah's own complaint against herself.
ReplyDeleteRemember everyone, Christianists like Palin THRIVE on being the victim. Jesus said we would be persecuted!! She will not personally be fazed by any of this really because I know these kinds of crazy Christians, and being persecuted (which is how she sees all of this) is a badge of honor and proof that she is going God's will.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of ice from any iceberg will stop her plowin' through doors.
Anon wrote:
ReplyDelete"As far as I know $300,000 does not equal millions."
Clearly, you fail Palin math.
Excellent post, Gryphen, I'm glad somebody can figure this stuff out.
Thanks, Catherine, for your insight of how SP is patterning herself after the Obamas.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above post that The Little S. of H's will cry and carry on about how she is being "persecuted" and how it will strengthen her 15 delusional followers as proof she is important and a godly woman.
The IRSberg may or may not hit her ship in the future, but her past drama, lies, and attempts to control others are bobbing to the surface and I think the S.S. Palin is starting to take on a lot of water due to a lot of small holes.
Now that the VF article has been published and gotten air time, I am hoping Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe's book on the behind the scenes look at the McCain Campaign comes out soon. (Love that name "Shushannah".)
I think we have seen only a tiny fraction of the outright paranoia and bitter in-fighting of that campaign. (I still want the full story of who the "generous patron" was that offered to buy SP six tailored outfits (3 for the campaign trail, 3 for the convention) who was "shocked" at the amount run up on the credit card they gave her. My guess it that it was Cindy McCain, and that this resulted in the rumored screaming match between the two.
Karma comes home like a boomerang thrown.
Wow! Just went to http://www.thealaskafundtrust.com/ and saw that she claims total costs so far to be over $1,000,000!
ReplyDeleteI find it both fascinating and scary that when confronted with irrefutable evidence of Sarah's lies, her followers just blithely go on as if the evidence weren't there and whine about have everyone is being mean to poor saintly Sarah. They are obviously completely incapable of analysis or independent thought. Therefor, NOTHING that comes out about Sarah will make them change their minds. Fortunately, they are a small lunatic fringe; it's the rest of the electorate we need to focus on.
ReplyDeleteI really like Steve Schmidt. As far as I can see he is the only person who has ever told Sarah Palin no, you are not having your way so just shut up!! I cannot wait for the Walshe and Conroy book to be published. This is great news. I think the iceberg cometh.
ReplyDeleteShe got $2.5 million for her book.
ReplyDeleteSo she cleared a cool $1.9M for her efforts.
That's a pretty good deal where I come from.