The New York Times take on the Palin family drunken brawl gets it right, CNN not so much.

So before I went to bed last night I bookmarked this CNN video discussing the brawl which gets quite a few things wrong about what actually happened.

In their version Track comes out a hero protecting his father instead of as the instigator of the whole thing.

So as you can imagine I was a little irritated and was going to use this post to correct their shoddy journalism.

However as it turns out I don;t have to, because the freaking New York Times did it for me.

Here are just a few of the key points in that Times article: 

A birthday party donnybrook that has come to be known locally and beyond as the “Palin family brawl” has been ruled a no contest.

Yes in virtually EVERY story on this incident the words "Palin family" and "brawl" are virtually always used together. Often the words "drunken,""assault," and "heavily intoxicated" are also within the body of the report.

As a matter of fact if you simply Google "Sarah Palin" this morning the entire first page contains almost nothing except stories of this brawl.

All of the accounts are in agreement that Mrs. Palin, her husband, Todd, and three of their older children — Track, 25, Bristol, 23, and Willow, 20 — showed up in a stretch Hummer limousine for a 40th birthday party for twin brothers, Matt and Marc McKenna, held at the home of Korey Klingenmeyer, the office manager for a company the McKennas own. Most of the party took place outside, with dancing and a live band.

Yep that's correct.

Five police officers compiled a 26-page report after interviewing more than 15 witnesses — including the Palin children in attendance — and most of the accounts (except for those given by the Palins) say that Bristol Palin had repeatedly punched Mr. Klingenmeyer in the face.

The Palins lay the blame for the fighting on others. Some of the witnesses, including the host, say that the Palins, particularly Bristol, were the instigators of several fights that broke out, all of which involved members of the Palin family. 

And there you have it, despite attempts to mop this thing up and suppress certain key pieces of information, the parts that simply could not be swept under the rug clearly state that Bristol Palin went all "Real Housewives of New Jersey" on Korey Klingenmeyer, and that EVERY altercation involved the Palins.

And for the one that the Palins seem to want to protect the most, the much vaunted warrior bodied "combat veteran?" 

Track Palin is described by an officer as heavily intoxicated and belligerent, and was shirtless and had “blood around his mouth and on his hands.”

Swing an a miss there Sarah.

As for reports by some news outlets that Sarah was sitting in the limo and NOT part of the scuffle:  

Officer Benjamin Nelson said in his report that when he arrived at the home he found Sarah and Todd Palin arguing with other partygoers. He said that he also witnessed Todd, Track and Willow confronting Mr. Klingenmeyer in his driveway, and that officers had to separate the parties.

Yes, the Times is reporting that not only was the Mama Grizzly and active participant, as many witnesses already testified, but that her family actually attempted to start a fight with the homeowner right in front of the police.

 I actually think that this is my favorite part from the Times article:

Bristol Palin said she did not recall hitting Mr. Klingenmeyer, but reported that she was dragged by her feet and called names. Matthew McKenna told the police that during the fight he picked Bristol up, carried her into the street and put her down.

One of the things that needs to be taken into account concerning the Palins version of events is that they were ALL highly intoxicated. THAT is why they hired the limo driver in the first place, because they knew they would be to drunk to drive by the end of the night. 

Therefore, as every police officer know, when you hear the version of events laid out by the party that is shitfaced, you really have to dismiss about 75% of what they say.

If Bristol did not even remember hitting the homeowner, then her story about being dragged around by her feet has to be taken with a giant grain of salt as well.

And that also means when Todd and Track talk about being jumped, that it is a version of events told under the influence of many, many drinks. (And yes trolls Todd was also drunk, how else to explain trying to start a fight right in front of the police?)

Now let me reiterate again that those portions above were taken from an article in the New York Times. Do you know how many people read the New York Times?

The answer is "a lot."

So this brings me to Tripp.

Now despite the fact that he appears nowhere in the police report he was most definitely present during some of this fracas. I have been told that he missed the part where his mom started wailing on Klingenmeyer, but he could NOT have missed the entire episode. And he definitely rode away in the car with the bloodied family members afterward.

Now what is not as well known is that the custody case is not entirely closed, that is why if you check Court View you will see that it remains open. (Yes there is a reason but I am not at liberty to divulge that. Yet.)

What that means is that Levi still has a chance to argue for full custody of Tripp. And considering the publicity this story is getting he literally has all the ammunition he needs to not only ask for, and receive, full custody, but also to request that Bristol's visits with Tripp be supervised.

And that my friends may be the best thing of all to come out of this whole thing.

P.S. For those who may not have read it here is the police report in full.