The Latest on Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Fires Back at Critics Through Twitter

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used her Twitter page Sunday to fire back at critics seizing on her decision to abruptly resign from office this month and to rebut speculation of an FBI investigation.

Shortly after lawmakers, pundits and political strategists took to the Sunday morning television talk shows to call her decision to step down a political mistake, Mrs. Palin posted several Tweets on the social-networking Web site aimed at reassuring supporters that she had made the correct decision.

"Critics are spinning, so hang in there as they feed false info on the right decision made as I enter last yr in office to not run again," wrote Mrs. Palin, who has been considered a likely Republican presidential candidate in 2012.

A few hours later, in an attempt to debunk speculation that her pending resignation was linked to a rumored FBI investigation, she posted a link on her Twitter page to a Los Angeles Times article that quoted an agency official saying that there was "absolutely no truth" that the FBI was investigating the governor.

Mrs. Palin also earlier in the day posted a link to a letter from her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, which pushed back at allegations, saying that Mrs. Palin's resignation had nothing to do with the rumored criminal investigation that she illegally intervened in the construction of a sports complex in Wasilla, the Alaska town where she formerly served as mayor.

But many political figures say that Mrs. Palin's abrupt resignation will haunt her if she decides to run for president.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a potential GOP rival of Mrs. Palin in 2012, on Sunday called her decision to step down from office a "risky strategy" politically.

"Nobody knows whether it's going to pay off or not," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "And even if she did get out primarily because of a feeling of being chased, that's not going to stop if she continues in politics."

Mr. Huckabee, who ran for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination before withdrawing from the race several months before the November election, said Mrs. Palin's hastily called news conference on Friday to announce her resignation has raised more questions than it answered.

"My political mentor, Ed Rollins, the other day on his radio show brought that up - that you don't call a press conference that creates questions. You call one to resolve them," the former governor said.

Mrs. Palin, the Republicans' 2008 vice presidential nominee, said on Friday that her decision to step down from office July 26 was based in part on her family's desire for her to quit.

But Mr. Huckabee, Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007, said she was making a serious political mistake if she was resigning to shield herself and her family from media scrutiny.

"If that had been the case for me, I'd have quit about my first month [as governor] because I was a Republican governor in a state where 89 percent of my Legislature were Democrats," he said.

Karl Rove, a former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, also said on Sunday that he was "perplexed" by Mrs. Palin's actions.

"If she wanted to escape the ethics investigations and save the taxpayers money, she's now done that, but it sort of sent a signal that if you do this kind of thing to a sitting governor like her, you can drive her out of office," Mr. Rove said on "Fox News Sunday."

Mr. Rove said that Mrs. Palin's decision has significantly hurt her chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

"When you're a sitting governor, you have the tactical advantage - if you're thinking about running for president - of turning down a lot of things with an excuse that people will accept: 'I've got a job to do as governor,' " he said. "She's now removed that."

Mrs. Palin, during her Friday press conference, bemoaned the amount of time and money she had to devote to personal legal battles and overcoming negative press coverage.

"I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time to go to waste, just so I can hold the title of governor," she said, referring to the impact of multiple ethics complaints against her. All but two of the 15 ethics complaints filed against Mrs. Palin have been dismissed with no findings of wrongdoing; the remaining two are pending.

Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, in line to become governor when Mrs. Palin steps down, said she has spoken with him about the toll the ethics investigations have taken on her. He said the legal bills for fighting the complaints already have cost state taxpayers about $2 million.

"That was just over the top, and I think she used the word 'insane' ... in her remarks," he said.

Monday, July 6, 2009 9:07 AM
By: Sean Lengell,

Steele: Palin Will Be Helpful in ‘09 Governor’s Races

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said this week that he plans to ask Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for her help in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, according to a report by ABC News.

The GOP gubernatorial candidates are Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey.

“I plan on talking to Gov. Palin very soon,” Steele said. “She is an important and galvanizing voice in the Republican Party. I believe she will be very helpful to the party this year as we wage critical campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey.

“I am certain this has been a difficult decision for her to step down as Alaska’s governor. She has been a good governor for her state and I wish her and the Palin family the best during this transition,” Steele concluded.

Palin’s abrupt resignation as Alaska’s governor still has her party’s leaders scratching their heads.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., issued a statement saying he had “the greatest respect and affection” for his former running mate, and was hopeful that “she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party,” according to USA Today.

Meanwhile, Karl Rove, former political guru for President George W. Bush, told Fox News over the weekend that he and other GOP strategists are “perplexed” by Palin’s bombshell.

Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee referred to the Palin resignation as “risky.”

Palin officially steps down July 26. She will be replaced by Alaska’s lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, a Republican.

By: Dave Eberhart - 2009 Newsmax

Palin Attorney Warns Media on Defamation

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, issued a four-page warning to mainstream news organizations over the weekend that he will sue on behalf of his client if “defamatory material” relating to her or her family finds its way from Internet blogs to print.

In the statement released Saturday, Van Flein noted there will be severe consequences to those organizations that print stories accusing the governor of embezzling funds in the construction of a sports arena in Wasilla, Alaska. The FBI today released a statement saying Palin is not under investigation, Politico reports.

“We are not investigating her," FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez said Sunday. "Normally we don't confirm or deny those kinds of allegations out there, but by not doing so it just casts her in a very bad light. There is just no truth to those rumors out there in the blogosphere."

Palin's personal spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton, sent the statement from Van Flein attacking "false and defamatory allegations that the 'real' reasons for Governor Palin's resignation stem from an alleged criminal investigation pertaining to the construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex,” the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Radio talk show host and blogger Shannyn Moore, who Van Flein called out personally for defaming Palin, followed that up by holding a press conference of her own in Anchorage yesterday to respond to Palin’s attorney’s claims.

Moore went on national television Friday, the day Palin said she would resign, and mentioned the rumor to MSNBC's David Shuster.

"There is a scandal rumor here that there is a criminal investigation into some activities and that's been rumored for about, I don't know, probably six weeks or two months," Moore told Shuster, noting Palin appeared nervous as she announced her resignation.

“I think she [Palin] was actually doing damage control for news that's coming up later," Moore said in explaining Palin’s abrupt resignation after serving just two-and-a-half years of a four-year term in office.

"I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero," Van Flein said.

"The Palins used a combination of personal savings, equity from the sale of their private home, and conventional bank financing to build the house, like millions of American families," Van Flein wrote in reference to the Lake Lucille family home Palin’s husband Todd built as general contractor.

Van Fleini said Todd "is no stranger to construction. We will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation."

In response to the defamation allegation, Moore said: "I haven't defamed the governor; I reported on speculation and rumor in Alaska. It's not my rumor; it's been out there for 10 months and the First Amendment protects me. Even if I didn't say it's 'rumors and speculation,' I'm still protected –– I would just lose credibility, which I'm not willing to do."

Moore called Palin "a coward and a bully" and said she only pointed out that rumors existed about Palin’s finances but never claimed them to be fact.

"What kind of politician attacks an ordinary American on the Fourth of July for speaking her mind?” Moore said. “What's wrong with her? The first amendment was designed to protect people like me from people like her. Our American revolution got rid of kings. And it got rid of queens, as well. Am I annoyed? You betcha. Shannyn Moore will not be muzzled.”

By: Rick Pedraza – 2009 Newsmax

And although we are hearing a lot of negative speculation about Palin’s decision to resign the governorship Limbaugh, Huckabee and Coulter say is was a gutsy move and could work for her!!!

Posted: Knowledge Creates Power

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