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A Closer Look at Sarah Palin's Legal Fees and Finances
The Associated Press
July 10, 2009
Since Sarah Palin abruptly resigned as governor of Alaska, she has repeatedly cited the bombardment of ethics complaints against her while conceding the financial burden of defending herself had taken its toll.
Palin says her family has racked up more than $500,000 in legal fees and the state has poured about $2 million of taxpayer money into investigating the complaints. Just last month, her handlers made a plea for supporters around the nation to donate money to her legal defense fund.
But just how much of a financial burden has been inflicted on the Palins and Alaska?
The governor's family is financially comfortable, but far from rich. She and her husband earned more than $200,000 last year, nowhere near enough to support a family of six and pay a mounting legal tab.
But the Palins have other assets and financial prospects: Their home is valued at $500,000 to $1 million, she has a book deal that could easily be in the millions, and Palin can make millions more with speaking tours and media opportunities.
She can also tap her immense popularity among the Republican base and raise tens of thousands of dollars to pay off legal bills with very little effort. An Internet campaign raised $130,000 from supporters in just two weeks.
"There were people who couldn't pay that much, who said they were in between jobs and really can't afford to do this, but they gave 10 bucks, 25 bucks, because they believe in her," said Rebecca Mansour, editor of Conservatives 4 Palin, an Internet group that led the recent webathon on behalf of the fund trust.
The cost of the ethics complaints to the state is a bigger financial issue. The state provided a breakdown of the $1.9 million cost this week, with the "Troopergate" scandal, staff lawyer research and public records requests making up a large portion of the cost. Palin says the series of complaints distracted staff from doing real work for the state, and the money could be spent on more useful things, such as roads, cops and energy and fish research. The state has spent $296,000 just on independent lawyers to investigate complaints, state administrative director Linda Perez for the governor's office.
Still, the $1.9 million cited pales in comparison to the $730 million the state spent last fall to distribute $1,200 in energy relief to every Alaskan. The state's overall budget for the 2010 fiscal year is more than $10 billion.
The ethics grievances are still piling up, with the latest filed this week against the former GOP vice presidential candidate. Sixteen ethics complaints have been filed. Three are still pending, the others have all been dismissed -- although one was resolved when Palin agreed to reimburse the state more than $8,000 for the costs associated with nine trips taken with her children.
In her latest financial disclosure, the ethics complaints loom large as a money drain for Palin. In a section that asks her to list outstanding debts, Palin lists the name of her law firm and follows up with a handwritten explanation that offers a hint of her frustration:
"As governor of the state of Alaska I have accrued bills for legal representation concerning false, wasteful and frivilous (sic) allegations," she wrote in her March statement. "To defend my actions as Governor my family has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees."
