It’s Palin Email Dump Day
More than 24,000 emails from Sarah Palin’s time as governor of Alaska are being released today — on paper, for some odd reason. ProPublica is going to make a full searchable archive available online as soon as possible: A Reader’s Guide to the (Still Coming) Sarah Palin Emails.
What should we expect to find in them?
We’re not sure. Among the unknowns are how extensive the redactions will be.
But here are some suggestions on what to look for. You may recall that as governor, Palin was involved in a number of controversies that emerged after she was picked as John McCain’s running mate.
In what became known as “Troopergate,” Palin and her husband were accused of personally pressuring a state employee to fire a state trooper who went through an ugly divorce and child-custody battle with her sister. When he refused, he himself was fired. Palin has denied that she pressured anyone. (Here’s the background.) Look for more on this, or on anything she wrote about the Alaska legislature’s investigation into it.
Palin was also caught in a contradiction on a famed “Bridge to Nowhere” construction project. She campaigned for the governorship in favor it, but as a Vice Presidential nominee touted her role in killing it. “Thanks, but no thanks” was how she characterized her response to Congress in regard to using federally earmarked funds on the bridge.
The project never really died, either—at least not in its entirety. As we reported at the time, Palin’s administration continued to pursue a road to nowhere—originally intended to be connected to the bridge—with the help of as much as $73 million in federal earmarked funds. Look for whether the emails say anything about that.
The emails also overlap briefly with her time as a Republican vice presidential nominee. Chances are slim, but they could be interesting if there’s information about the presidential campaign or observations to be made about emails sent in the run-up to her selection as McCain’s running mate.