Recently
Hotline on Call broke the story that the RNC is STILL paying some of Sarah Palin's legal bills, having written a check as recently as September 1, 2010, for more than $129,000.00:
The RNC has sent more than $129K to an Anchorage law firm to cover legal bills incurred during former Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) run for vice president, a senior party official tells Hotline On Call.
The party cut the check on Sept. 1 to Clapp, Peterson, Van Flein, Tiemessen & Thorsness LLC, an Anchorage law firm that defended Palin from myriad ethics charges following her campaign.
Political opponents in Alaska filed complaints against Palin surrounding her travel during and after the campaign.
"The disbursement relates to legal fees incurred during the summer and fall of 2008, when Democrats engaged in a partisan witch hunt against Gov. Palin. Based on conversations in 2008, the RNC decided to step in to help," said Doug Heye, the RNC's communications director.
If your jaw just hit the floor and your head is now full of "WTF?," then welcome to the party, because that is EXACTLY how all of the rest of us feel. No way does this make any damn sense.
After all:
Isn't this woman now a multi-millionaire?
Doesn't she have a
defense fund dedicated to paying these very bills? (Of course this is her SECOND legal defense fund after the FIRST one was
found to be illegal.)
And besides that isn't the
RNC broke?
With about $5 million in the bank and at least $2 million in debt, the RNC is not going to be able to fund such paid get-out-the-vote activities as direct mail and robocalls for gubernatorial and Senate races. Instead, the national party is focused on using its limited resources to assist GOP candidates in targeted House races, which are more inexpensive, with turnout efforts.
So why would a struggling Republican National Committee be paying a multi-millionaire's legal bills for for ethics complaints that she incurred while Governor of Alaska? Obviously there has to be more to this story, and journalists who read about it decided to look into it further in an attempt to answer some of the question listed above.
Here is one follow up filed by the
Washington Times:
The Republican National Committee is paying off some of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's sizable legal fees dating back to the 2008 presidential campaign in exchange for her help raising money for the financially strapped RNC during the campaign season, The Washington Times has learned.
OH! I see.....wait what?
RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen, who co-signed the check with RNC Chief Administrative Officer Boyd Rutherford, said Mr. Rutherford told him the check was in exchange for Mrs. Palin's help with RNC Chairman Michael S. Steele to raise money for midterm election campaigns.
"The initial payment was for Palin to do several different fundraising events and sign fundraising letters for the RNC," Mr. Pullen said. He said the RNC has committed to sending the Anchorage law firm a second check of an equal amount, which would bring the total to $257,037.70.
"Fundraising?" What "fundraising?" She refused to attend the
RNC fundraiser in April. And though she DID show up to the
Ronald Reagan dinner in Iowa last Friday, in her speech she essentially dissed the RNC in favor of the Teabaggers. And the only "fundraising letter" I know of is
this racially charged piece of propaganda that she sent out in August. Let's be serious is any of THAT worth in excess of $257,000?
What is really going on?
Did the RNC make some sort of commitment to Palin while she was the VP candidate to handle her legal bills?
Mr. Steele's immediate predecessor, Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, who was RNC chairman in 2008, said there was no authorization to pay Mrs. Palin's legal bills while he was chairman. He said the process when he ran the party required approval for such payments from the RNC's chief counsel, chief of staff and chief financial officer, with the party chairman and general counsel brought in if necessary.
"To the best of my knowledge, all of the governor's necessary and proper legal bills that could be paid by the RNC or by the RNC and the campaign ... were paid before I left office," Mr. Duncan said.
Well there was no equivocation in THAT statement now was there?
Okay then do OTHER Republicans get paid to raise funds for the RNC?
Former RNC Chairman Frank J. Fahrenkopf said he could not recall a similar arrangement for those helping the party build its financial base during his tenure.
"Wow. I never paid anyone money to make speeches and sign direct-mail appeals," Mr. Fahrenkopf said.
Another RNC veteran said such an arrangement was unusual.
"For the most part, people donate their time to help fellow Republicans win races," added former RNC General Counsel David Norcross. "But I can't say that paying for that time has never been done before."
So giving the RNC, and Palin, the benefit of the doubt, and, even though it is highly unusual, these payments really were for "services rendered", then WHY say they are for her "legal bills?"
I don't know about any of you but in my mind this Washington Times piece actually raises many more questions than it answers. I am all the way up here in Alaska and I can still smell the stink coming off of this "deal."
I will bring you more on this story as it becomes available, and if any of you happen to stumble across any new information please leave it in the comments section. I don't believe for an instant that this is the last we will hear about Sarah Palin and her sugar daddy Michael Steele.
