Sarah Palin Emails Released By Alaska Government

[Walter Cronkite]

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and other Republicans began circling Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the weeks before McCain picked her as his 2008 running mate, according to e-mails from her old office.

Prominent Republicans had touted Palin as a possible running mate for a few months before. But the courtship appears to have accelerated in early August of 2008, just as the biggest controversy of her administration was gathering steam, according to some of the 24,000 pages of e-mails released by Alaska's state government Friday.

"Governor -- I received a call from Charles Adams, Communications Advisor Department for Senator McCain. Mr. Adams was inquiring as to whether or not you would be interested in participating in a National Press Call on Wednesday, 08.06.08," Palin's scheduler, Janice Mason, wrote the then-governor on August 4. "This would be with their National Pool of Reporters. It has very good attendance on calls. It would help the elected official. It would be a total of 15 minutes of your time and would be in regards to Energy."

It was not immediately clear whether Palin accepted the invitation. In her response to Mason, she questioned whether she could take part in the call, given a planned trip to southwestern Alaska.

Around the same time, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley requested a brief courtesy visit during an August 11 trip to Alaska's capital Juneau.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also e-mailed Palin to ask her advice on how Alaska distributed its oil taxes. Gingrich suggested Alaska's model, which guarantees every resident a cut of the proceeds, could be adopted in other states.

And the Republican National Committee had Palin lined up for a 9 p.m. speaking slot at the party's convention in Minneapolis on September 2, the day she eventually delivered her acceptance speech, as early as August 20.

"RNC feels that this is a much better slot for you and they want you on Primetime," Mason wrote.

Nothing in the documents indicates whether Palin knew she was being considered for a slot on the national ticket, and further documents indicate she planned to stay at a Hilton Garden Inn and return from Minneapolis the day after her speech. Neither her husband, Todd, nor infant son, Trig, would be able to accompany her, she wrote -- "All the more reason to keep the trip short."

McCain eventually named Palin his choice for vice president on August 29, catapulting the once-obscure governor into the national spotlight and making her a potential contender for the GOP's No. 1 position in 2012.

State officials released the trove of e-mail -- six 11-by-17-inch boxes worth -- on Friday, the result of Freedom of Information Act requests dating to her vice presidential nomination. About three dozen reporters and photographers crammed into the crowded hallway of a state office building in Juneau and hauled them away for review Friday morning.

Around the same time that she was being considered for the vice presidential nomination, Palin was coming under increasing scrutiny over her firing of the state's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan. Monegan's backers asserted that Palin had fired him because he refused to sack her ex-brother-in-law, a state police officer who had been involved in a bitter custody dispute with Palin's sister.

The flap became known as "Troopergate," and it dogged Palin throughout the remainder of the campaign. Two investigations came to differing conclusions about her actions: One found she violated state ethics law by using state employees to put pressure on her former in-law, another found she had stayed within the law and little evidence she knew of the actions of her subordinates. The first investigation was commissioned by the state Legislature, the second requested by Palin herself.

On August 6, 2008, Palin was told that the Legislature's investigator, Steven Branchflower, had requested "a laundry list" of records from the governor's office: "Emails, files correspondence, names and addresses of any and all staff that would have any knowledge of Walt's firing," wrote her then-chief of staff, Mike Nizich.

In the e-mail, one of those released Friday, Nizich adds, "You got to be kidding me." And Palin replies, "Geez. This is crazy."

Earlier records in the stash show Palin's frustration with complaints about her family's state-paid travel even before she entered the national spotlight, instructing an aide to remind a reporter "of the family travels w (with) me that I have personally pd (paid) for."

"Hopefully our records very clearly show that," Palin wrote on July 10, 2008. "Also, my return of every per diem offer for everything related to the kids ... and we need to be proactive in this issue with reminding him of all the steps taken to save state monies like no Anchorage apartment ... no chef ... security down from 7 to 2, whatever."

Palin eventually paid back about $7,000 for travel expenses for her children after an ethics investigator determined nine trips were questionable. The settlement stated that Palin did not violate Alaska's ethics law or commit any wrongdoing, and that she followed the advice of experienced staff.

A spokesman for her political action committee said Friday that the documents show "a governor hard at work."

"The thousands upon thousands of e-mails released today show a very engaged Governor Sarah Palin being the CEO of her state," said Tim Crawford, treasurer of Sarah PAC, Palin's political action committee.

Meanwhile, in a scandal that rocked Alaska's political establishment, Palin moved quickly to link a key figure to her defeated predecessor, Frank Murkowski, the documents show.

"FYI -- I've asked Frank Bailey to help me track down soem [sic] evidence of past administration's dealing with Bill Allen," Palin wrote on May 8, 2007, a day after Allen pleaded guilty to bribery, extortion and conspiracy.

Palin had beaten Murkowski in 2006 in a primary battle in which she campaigned as a reformer, and backed an unsuccessful 2010 challenge to Murkowski's daughter, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Allen had been the CEO of the Alaska oilfield services company VECO, and federal prosecutors accused him of leading a scheme to bribe top lawmakers in exchange for favorable state action. The scandal disgraced several lawmakers and led to prison time for Allen.

Aides soon replied that VECO had paid $15,000 to fly Frank Murkowski and Allen to a Council of State Governments meeting in Thailand in 2004. Palin aides also asked Allen to resign from a seat on a state board that cultivated ties with the Canadian province of Alberta, a request to which Allen -- who was later sentenced to three years in prison -- quickly agreed.

The documents include messages from Palin's official account as well as private accounts, according to Linda Perez, the administrative director for current Gov. Sean Parnell. A search was done "in an effort to capture everything in the state e-mail system" that would comply with the request, Perez said.

Perez said 2,275 pages are not being released due to legal privileges, while some documents were redacted to remove names. E-mails for the remaining 10 months of Palin's tenure, leading up to her 2009 resignation, have yet to be released.

Before the release, Palin told "Fox News Sunday" that the messages "obviously weren't meant for public consumption," saying she was sure the material would be taken out of context.

"I think every rock in the Palin household that could ever be kicked over and uncovered anything, it's already been kicked over," she said.


Today 7:20 AM 'First Dude' Spurs Action
The Los Angels Times relays an account offering insight into the role Sarah Palin's husband played in the government realm during her tenure as governor:

Todd Palin sent his wife an email to her personal account July 4, 2008, complaining that the Peter Pan Seafood operation that he provided with salmon out of the Bristol Bay was "plugged up" -- meaning that the processor was at capacity and couldn't handle any more fish. "Way to [sic] early to be on limits," he wrote. "Just venting."
According to the Times, the then-governor passed along her husband's email to her chief of staff at the time. In forwarding the message, she wrote, "This will have to be another mission we get on."

A fisheries policy adviser to Palin provided her and her chief of staff with an update on the matter days later.

Today 7:01 AM Palin Received Death Threats In 2008
In the wake of being tapped to be then-presidential candidate John McCain's running mate in 2008, Sarah Palin received death threats as her presence grew on the political scene.

AFP reports on the revelation:

"She doesn't belong to the NRA (National Rifle Association) to support the right of each citizen to have weapons in an aim of self-defence, but just to support the right of every Southern white citizen to shoot all non-white people legally!" wrote a sender identified as Dominique Villacrouz.
"Sarah Palin MUST BE KILLED," said the email, highlighted by the Los Angeles Times.

In another message dated September 12, a resident in Antwerp, Belgium, also called for Palin to be shot, saying that "only on that moment justice will be accomplished," the LA Times said.
06/10/2011 8:00 PM Jack Abramoff's Taint Didn't Stop Palin From Using Law Firm
HuffPost's Marcus Baram:

Amid the scandal involving superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, Palin expressed concern about the taint of corruption hurting Alaska. On March 13, 2008, the day that well-connected law firm Greenberg Traurig was indicted in connection with Abramoff's lobbying, Palin sent an urgent email to Alaska's Attorney General Talis Colberg, asking, "Do we use these guys?"

Palin's revenue commissioner, Patrick Galvin, offered a strong defense of the firm, which represented the Alaska Department of Natural Resources on a gas pipeline project:

"We'1l ask our GT contacts for more information. It's something we'11 have to keep a close on as it develops, On the surface, it appears that it is merely collateral damage from their past association with Abramoff. We knew of the Abramoff connection, but GT has moved past that episode. GT is a huge firm, voted #1 in the US last year by the ABA. There is no indication that this should color the stature GT holds in the gas pipeline regulation arena, but we have to be careful with perceptions."
Palin's concerns did not last. One of the firm's partners, Kenneth Minesinger, met with Palin numerous times to discuss legislative approval for the pipeline. He also reportedly helped advance Palin's career by recommending the firm's PR consultant Marcia Brier to promote the project, reported American Lawyer in 2008. Given a $31,000 contract by Alaska, Brier pitched stories to magazines like Fortune and Forbes "about Palin's role in championing the pipeline while standing up to Big Oil," burnishing her maverick reputation.

06/10/2011 7:40 PM Palin Needs A Drink
HuffPost's Jason Cherkis:

According to a Washington Post account, Palin worried about leaving alcohol around the house: “With so many kids and teens coming and going in that house, esp during this season of celebrationstt [sic] for young people — proms, graduations, etc, I want to send the msg that we can be — and 'the People’s House' needs to be — alcohol-free,” the governor emailed Erika ***erstrom, the executive residence manager, on May 6, 2007.

But by July 2008, Palin appears to have changed her tune, requesting that ***erstrom hustle up some bubbly: "Pls get small bottles of champagne for the house. Thanks."

***erstorm later replied: "They're in the basement, but let me [know] - we can bring some upstairs. Thanks, E."

Palin responded: "Yes, we'll need some upstairs." She later added further instructions about where the mini champagne bottles should go: "Just in the kitchen wine fridge is all I need at this point. I can bring them up from downstairs...where are they?"

Read the Washington Post story here.

06/10/2011 7:20 PM Palin: I Don't Mind That Stevens Tried To "Ding Us" On Earmarks
HuffPost's Jen Bendery:

In a February 28, 2008 email, Palin told staff that she welcomed a jab from Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) in a local newspaper article over her not requesting enough earmarks.

Palin said she didn't "mind at all" that Stevens told the Anchorage Daily News that he planned to post all of his earmark requests on his website in response to frustrations he felt over some people—Palin speculated he meant her—not pushing to bring more federal money in for state projects.

"We don't mind at all that Stevens wants to post earmark requests (tho evidently Stevens wanted to do this to ding us ) because it will prove we've only asked for 4 or 5 new ones," Palin wrote.

"Too bad Stevens doesn't see our efforts as being good for him, and really our reform efforts are at the request of him and Young - telling us to quit expecting so many federal dollars."

06/10/2011 7:09 PM A Quick Note From HuffPost
Thanks to Reliable Courier Service in Juneau, Alaska for scanning and sending the Palin emails today.

06/10/2011 7:07 PM Palin, Staff Worry Over Non-Endorsement Of Ted Stevens
HuffPost's Jason Cherkis:

In early July 2008, Palin joined Sen. Ted Stevens at an energy-policy press conference. A local reporter asked Palin if her attendance signaled an endorsement of Stevens. She demurred, according to emailed transcripts of the event, telling the interviewer: "I'm on the clock and we're in a federal building so we don't talk about campaigns or endorsements...but I support the Senator's proposals here and his passion..."

The exchange eventually caught the attention of a local radio station. One of the station's reporters suggested over the air that Palin would soon be endorsing Stevens. Staffer Frank Bailey forwarded on his concerns to the governor. "Don't know how you navigate this," he wrote on July 29 at 10:59 p.m, "but the press will pick up on it and try to further shove a wedge between you and ted. just wanted you to be aware."

Just after 5 a.m. the following morning, Palin responded via email: "Never said anything about a done-deal forthcoming endorsement." Another confidant backed up Palin's recollections. Palin responded at 6:24 a.m.: "Amen."

06/10/2011 6:57 PM Palin: Responsible Driver
HuffPost's Dave Jamieson:

The governor apparently refused to text or email while driving, though she may have been willing to pray while behind the wheel judging from this July 9, 2008 note to a staffer: "This is Bristol my mom's driving, we say thank you so much and mom and I were just praying about the hurt and anger that comes with her job. Thanks you for your faith in God. We share it and we love you!"

06/10/2011 6:46 PM Palin: Governing No Way To Get In Shape
Writing to her attorney general, Talis Colberg, on July 13, 2008, after he recently ran a 5K, Palin says: "I drag my gasping lungs out on the trails maybe twice a week lately -- and that's a good week."

--Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 6:02 PM Palin Felt Hemmed In By Staff On Troopergate
Judging from her emails to staff, Palin seemed eager to address the Troopergate controversy publicly, at least before her veep nomination.

In a July 19, 2008 email, Palin told her staff that she'd never gone the "'no comment' route" in the past and that she'd rather talk to legislators and the press directly about the controversy. "I desire to speak to the public on this," she wrote. "Please trust me that the best path forward, in fairness to the public and consistent with an open government without anything to hide, is for me to be freed up to speak."

With regards to a state investigation, Palin wrote, "law makers are insistent on hearing more. No fear of their proposed investigation, but I'd rather save them time and resources and go directly to them and the public on a much more transparent path."

--Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 5:58 PM Of Aerial Wolf Hunting, State Influence, And Message Management
In late August 2008, Palin faced intense criticism from wildlife groups for her policy advocating the gunning down of wild wolves from airplanes -- a practice undertaken in the name of predator control, but one seen as wanton slaughter by conservationists.

Along those lines, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance had filed a complaint with the Alaska Public Offices Commission claiming that state officials -- including Palin -- had unduly attempted to influence a pending ballot initiative that would have placed new restrictions on such aerial hunting practices.

Alaska law makes it illegal for elected officials to use state resources to advocate on ballot initiatives there. Nonetheless, the APOC ultimately rejected the complaint.

Still, Palin's penchant for speaking out on ballot initiatives was a sore issue, and she'd similarly raised hackles by opining on the contentious Pebble Mine, a huge gold and copper operation on which another ballot initiative was pending, and over which industry and environmental groups were facing off.

Just before the vote, Palin outraged opponents of the mine by offering her personal opinion that the state's regulatory regime was sufficient to ensure its environmental health and safety.

On August 21, Palin's deputy press secretary, Sharon Leighow, preparing a press release praising the APOC's decision in the aerial hunting complaint, sent an email to Palin with the subject line: "please approve your quote."

Palin's canned words were presented this way:

"It is part of the mission of our state agencies to inform the public and to make sure they have access to the facts," she said. "When both sides of a political debate are making claims about an important public policy issue, our experts must be free to explain these programs to the public."
Palin replied a few minutes later saying "Good quote, thank you."

But then she went on:

"Regarding another aspect of all this recent APOC complaining issue on both predator control and the mining initiative: If you want to personalize my quotes more (if you believe it helps), say: "Alaskans expect me to give an opinion when asked, which is what I do in exercising my First Amendment rights when I'm asked about important issues affecting our state," Palin said. "I haven't hesitated in giving my personal opinion on predator control and the mining initiative, for instance, because Alaskans know by now I'll take a stand and share my opinion if they ask to hear it."
From the look of at least one lingering web artifact, it appears that Leighow simply decided to use it all.

--Tom Zeller Jr.

06/10/2011 5:43 PM Palin Disses Republican Party Days Before Veep Nod
Even before McCain picked her as his running mate, Palin was scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention. Over a seemingly endless run of emails, Palin and her staff fussed over flight and hotel arrangements. Finally, Palin seemed to have settled on an itinerary --one that did not include Todd and Trig taking the trip with her.

In an Aug. 9, 2008 email, she draws up a plan and slams the Republican party as not being very supportive. Just another reason to keep the trip short.

Palin wrote:

"The plan seems to make most sense should be to find out exactly when my speech is (two speeches total)...then to travel a day before and a day after that main speech. I don't want to be there five days, no need to. Todd won't be able to go, it appears. So Trig won't be going, all the more reason to keep the trip short.

I don't need staff besides Kris - we need to remember the GOP, for the most part...especially the AK machine...has not had any support or assistance provided our administration so our time and efforts will continue to be spent on serving Alaskans, not party politics. Pls also find out who pays for the trip. Thanks"
--Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 4:51 PM What To Say About Trig
In mid-August 2008, Palin announced that she would be hosting a baby shower with Trig to benefit military families. But when it came down to writing up the p.r., the governor needed a ghostwriter to help pen a quote about her newborn.

She wrote to her staffers via email: "can u think of a powerful quote to put in there re: we've been blessed with trig, now's a fun opportunity to bless others through kwhl's event.?"

-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 4:11 PM Nice Try
To recap: The Troopergate scandal revolved around the question of why Palin fired her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan.

In essence, Monegan said it was because he refused to sack Palin's hated ex-brother-in-law, the state trooper Mike Wooten. Palin said it was because Monegan wasn't a good administrator. Palin's real motives may never be known, but so far, her emails appear to be consistent with the claims she made to the public back in 2008.

Monegan can blame "the Wooten issue," she wrote in a July 2008 email, "but he knows it's not true and perhaps he doesn't want a discussion about his administrative skills being made public."

"If Walt tries to go there," she said, "my response is 'nice try.'"

-- Saki Knafo

06/10/2011 4:09 PM Not “Much Reason” For Murkowski, Stevens To Be My Fans
In an October 16, 2007 e-mail, Palin disputes and then agrees with the media’s depiction of her strained relationships with Alaska Republican Sens. Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski.

Palin wrote to her chief of staff Sean Parnell to “rely [sic] my respect” to the two Senators if he crossed paths with them on an upcoming trip. She went on to question why the media casts her relationships to Stevens and Murkowski in a negative light, only to go back and give reasons for the media’s characterization.

“I think the media blows out of proportion a 'frosty' Stevens relationship... but come to think of it neither he nor Lisa have much reason to be big fans considering my relationship with Lisa's dad and Ted's son,” Palin wrote.

Bad blood between Palin and Murkowski dates back to 2002, when Palin was rumored to be the party’s top choice to replace Gov-elect Frank Murkowski, Lisa's father, in the Senate but he ended up tapping Lisa for the job. Palin later challenged Lisa for the Senate seat in 2004 and lost, but two years later, challenged Frank for governor and won.

Stevens’ son Ben sparked a rift with Palin in July 2004 when, in his post as an Alaska state senator, he called a constituent from Palin’s part of the state “valley trash.” The incident prompted Palin to publicly wear a t-shirt with the slogan “Proud to Be Valley Trash” during her 2006 gubernatorial bid. Later, in 2007, Palin called on Stevens to resign from his post with the Republican National Committee because he was under investigation in an Alaska political corruption probe.

-- Jen Bendery

06/10/2011 3:53 PM Alaska AG To Palin: Watch 'Mamma Mia' To Forget Problems
Palin and her attorney general, Talis Colberg, tend to stick to business in their many email exchanges. But that's not the case on July 23, 2008, when Colberg tells the governor how she can forget all her Juneau headaches, including Troopergate.

"Yesterday and probably today were rough on you," Colberg wrote. "I have no idea what your movie tastes are like. However last night I went to the glacier cinema... and saw mama Mia and although most of the audience was women I enjoyed it and for two hours my mind was off the legislature. If you are at all inclined to like Abba I recommend it. I always liked abba."

-- Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 3:48 PM Veep Fever
Sarah Palin had vice presidential fever well before the McCan campaign picked her, and made a habit of forwarding glowing fan email to her aides.

There are many examples, but she forwarded a pair of them on June 18, 2008. McCain chose her as his running mate at the end of August.

"I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE YOU RUN WITH JOHN MCCAIN AS VP, OR SOMEDAY PRESIDENT," wrote Marvin Spacek, from Oregon.

"I strongly urge you to run for vice president with John McCain," wrote Ron Pike, from Oklahoma.

-- Mike McAuliff

06/10/2011 3:31 PM Fueling A Veep Bid
Sarah Palin and her staff were very excited about writing a bill to repeal an Alaska State fuel tax. Especially because the campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), then hunting for a vice presidential pick, would be impressed by the legislation.

Wrote aide Ivy Frye, after her boss cheered the bill:

I'll send to McCain's camp after presser or the bill comes out. They're going to love it!... More vp talk is never a bad thing, whether you're considering vp or not. say President Palin sounds better tho...
-- Mike McAuliff

06/10/2011 3:30 PM Palin Privately Soured On 'Bridge To Nowhere'
HuffPost's Elise Foley reports:

Sarah Palin appeared to sour on the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" in 2007, writing in private emails to her staff that she might support returning funds for the bridge to the federal government for other infrastructure projects.
As the bridge, planned to connect the 50-resident Gravina Island with another island, began to draw fire from critics who called it pork-barrel spending, Palin appears to have had something of a change of heart on the issue, according to a trove of emails from her time as Alaska governor released on Friday.
Palin officially abandoned the plan for the bridge in Sept. 2007, a move touted during her campaign as John McCain's running mate the following year. Palin was widely criticized for claiming to have killed the "Bridge to Nowhere" because funds to the project had already gone dry.
But although she had previously supported the bridge, private emails reveal that she did not simply end the project to score a political win.
Read more here.

06/10/2011 3:11 PM Early Tensions Between Palin and McCain Staffs
It’s no secret that tension increased between the Palin and McCain camps over the course of the campaign. Surprising, though, is how quickly such discord developed.

In an email forwarded to then-Governor Palin by her communications director William McAllister, a man, identified only as “Phil,” refers to the “McCain hacks” who helped write a speech Palin gave. The email, dated Sept. 3, 2008, was sent before the end of the Republican National Convention and a mere five days after the announcement of Palin’s selection as GOP running mate.

Unfortunately, neither a full name nor email address is given for “Phil,” and the extent of his involvement in the campaign is unclear. Yet the fact that Sarah Palin’s “gatekeeper” forwarded the email on to her suggests that there was some agreement at the highest level of the campaign about the sentiments he expressed.

-- Samuel Haass

06/10/2011 3:00 PM Palin Wants To FOIA Emails
Some apparent misinformation had been floating around concerning Alaska's Department of Public Safety. On Aug. 19, 2008, Palin brainstormed a counterattack via email:

"Very, very concerning the 'untruths' coming from them. I am dumbfounded at this, as I have never worked in an organization where these unethical practices seem to go ignored and unanswered. The lack of accountability is appalling in all of this. It is so concerning, the damage that is being done and the public trust that is eroding, that we need to gather as much information as possible, including FOIA-ing emails, tapes, communications in all forms, regarding the untruthful information being spread to the public."
06/10/2011 2:58 PM Snubbed?
Just two weeks before being tapped for the number two slot on the Republican ticket, Palin was claiming that her invite to the annual GOP picnic must have been, er, lost in the mail?

"I read that the annual picnic was this evening, and it was noted that I wasn't there," Palin wrote on the evening of August 11, 2008. "If anyone asks, I was not there bc I did not know about it, never saw any invitation -- as far as I know I was not invited. Janice may have seen something come through invitations, she may verify, but I didn't receive anything on this."

-- Tom Zeller

06/10/2011 2:55 PM I'm Not After Your Senate Seat, Ted Stevens
On March 12, 2007, Palin denied rumors that she was planning a run against Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and that she was actively recruiting people to replace Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) — two suggestions floated by a former top aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a longtime nemesis of Palin's.

Then-Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell e-mailed Palin about a run-in he had with Murkowski's former chief of staff, Justin Steifel, who said both Stevens and Young were "concerned" that Palin was trying to thwart them.

"Holy moly... those are all outlandish rumors," Palin wrote back. "I think Justin likes to stir it up, as information is power for the guys on the hill. His information happens to be all wrong tho."

She called it "crazy talk" that she was recruiting anyone to take on Young. "Totally not true."

As for Stevens, Palin said she had personally met with him and his chief of staff, George Lowe, weeks earlier to reassure them that she wasn't after his Senate seat.

"I had a good conversation with Ted S. and George Lowe when I was in DC and told them I support Ted (I also talked to Catherine Stevens on my visit), so Justin is a few weeks off there. Ted was appreciative that I could reassure him that my plate was full as Governor and I was not planning a Senate run."

-- Jen Bendery

06/10/2011 2:29 PM Palin Meets BP's Tony Hayward
"This is your first interaction with the CEO of BP, Tony Hayward," writes Galvin Patrick, Palin's revenue commissioner, in an email message dated September 8, 2008. Patrick was getting Palin ready for a phone call the following day.

"Mr. Hayward took over for Lord John Brown in May 2007," Patrick continues. "He is a Brit with a PhD in geology who came up through the ranks at BP. He's 51 years old; married with two kids; like triathlons and soccer."

A year and a half later, of course, Mr. Hayward would also preside over the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that would ultimately lead to his unceremonious departure from BP.

At the time of his phone call with Palin, BP was in the midst of sorting out a civil claim that the state had filed against the company for nasty oil spill at Prudhoe Bay in 2006.

In the email, Patrick begins to explain the nature of the claim -- "for lost revenue due to their negligent maintenance" -- before a sizable portion of the message is redacted as "privileged or personal material."

"That's it," the email concludes. "Marty will participate in the call. Tom and I will be listening in. Good luck. -- Pat."

-- Tom Zeller

06/10/2011 2:27 PM Brutal Quotes
In July 2008, as the Troopergate scandal was unfolding, a Republican member of the Alaskan legislature asked Palin's office for information about Walt Monegan, the public official who Palin had recently fired.

Palin's staff turned Hawker away. Not the best move, apparently. In an email to her staff, Palin demanded an explanation: "Who talked to Hawker and told him that we would not answer his questions about walt? His quotes on the news were brutal."

-- Saki Knafo

06/10/2011 2:25 PM Hacked -- By Todd
Sarah Palin had more than one episode of panic over an electronic security breach. At 6:31 am on the morning of March 3, 2007, Gov. Palin sent this desperate missive to Chief-of-Staff Mike Tibbles and aide Frank Bailey:

Mike or Frank - does anyone know how anyone could send an annonymous [sic] email from my old personal account (spalin@mtaonline.net) that I don't even use anymore... I did NOT send this email.
She was referring to an email forward containing a list of talking points attempting to scuttle a position for biologist Ken Taylor, who became the Palin administration's point man on polar bears, in the Fish and Game Department.

Twelve minutes later, Palin realized she had made a mistake:

never mind about the "anonymous" email sender... Todd forwarded this from the home computer in Wasilla... this message was composed by Steve Florey in Anchorage, evidently, and passed around.
Of course, one of Palin's several private email accounts was actually hacked more than a year later, in September 2008.

-- Matt Sledge

06/10/2011 2:14 PM Unflippinbelievable!
Palin got quite a lot of congratulatory mail after her veep nomination and convention speech. On Aug. 30, 2008, Palin wrote to one associate: "Can you flippinbelieveit?!"

-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 2:10 PM Not So Teleprompter-Averse
March 19, 2007

Palin's hostility toward the use of teleprompters didn't fit within her world back in 2007. When Calgary's "Energy TV" called up looking to interview Palin, Palin communications aide Meg Stapleton wrote to staff:

Energy TV would like an interview with the Governor and I thought this Wednesday might work - the questions are below . What we need to do is simply book the Governor's time, provide the answers to the questions below, use the prompter and have her look to the side and answer the questions for use by the TV station. I just need help on the answers . It needs to be very conversationally written . Needs to be on 3:30pm Governor's feed Wednesday - could record according to Governor 's schedule on Wednesday morning and would need answers by tomorrow. Possible?
Palin recalled that she had a "long cabinet meeting" scheduled for the same time they had allotted to shoot her side of the interview. Stapleton replied:

We're working around that. Joe Balash is crafting the answers right now , Sharon will ask the questions, we will have the answers in a teleprompter, and then send those answers over the satellite tomorrow afternoon . It shouldn't take long , once we have the answers. Expect them tonight.
Palin replied:

You're awesome.
You're all awesome.
Whataday...
Teleprompters! Seriously, they are just a useful tool that politicians should use. Much preferable to the palm of one's hand.

-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 2:01 PM Panicked Email Over An Apparent Computer Search
On Aug. 19, 2008, in the midst of Troopergate, Palin sent a distressed email to staffers, apparently under the belief that her computer at the governor's mansion had been searched by authorities, writing: "who, when, etc conducted this search of my bedroom's computer and the other house computer? And what were the reasons given and responses given to whomever must have officially entered the residence on whatever day it was that this occurred?" Palin's scheduler, Janice Mason, checked into the search and discovered that the governor's office itself had copied all staff computer hard drives at the request of the state Department of Law.
The news didn’t please the governor. "it's not comforting at all knowing this took place with no one present…. Who are 'they'? Who went to the bedroom, where else did they go?"

-- Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 1:59 PM Remembering The Little Things
Since Palin was clearly busy, she often relied on her staff to help her remember to pay attention to all those details and things she might forget. Like her mother, as noted in the July 28, 2008, email to two assistants:

Don't let me forget to pick up my mom tomorrow after milk run flt comes into Juneau 3:00-ish I think.
-- Mike McAuliff

06/10/2011 1:57 PM Mob Deep
On Sept. 6, 2008, Palin's newly appointed chief-of-staff Michael Nizich emailed his boss this message: "You are an amazing lady."

Palin responded with a mash note of her own:

You are an amazing, grounded, true man of character who just happens to be working in govt. America needs more people just like you in service! Keep hunting, keep being a true Alaskan...keep calling it as you see it - we love the mobster in ya.
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 1:55 PM Palin's Stance On Renewables
If the topic turned to energy, Palin's attentions were understandably drawn to oil and gas, given Alaska's spoils in both -- particularly in the North Slope. On clean energy sources like solar and wind power, critics regard her record as being rather thin, though she paid renewables regular lip service (alongside a broad conventional energy platform) after being named McCain's vice presidential pick.

On Aug. 6, 2008, less than a month before she was tapped, Palin sent an email that displays what might be interpreted as a somewhat less enthusiastic disposition toward the topic:

5pm speech on renewable energy - pls put as tentative on the sched and have someone draft the speech.
Thanks.
-- Tom Zeller

06/10/2011 1:57 PM Mob Deep
On Sept. 6, 2008, Palin's newly appointed chief-of-staff Michael Nizich emailed his boss this message: "You are an amazing lady."

Palin responded with a mash note of her own:

You are an amazing, grounded, true man of character who just happens to be working in govt. America needs more people just like you in service! Keep hunting, keep being a true Alaskan...keep calling it as you see it - we love the mobster in ya.
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 1:55 PM Palin's Stance On Renewables
If the topic turned to energy, Palin's attentions were understandably drawn to oil and gas, given Alaska's spoils in both -- particularly in the North Slope. On clean energy sources like solar and wind power, critics regard her record as being rather thin, though she paid renewables regular lip service (alongside a broad conventional energy platform) after being named McCain's vice presidential pick.

On Aug. 6, 2008, less than a month before she was tapped, Palin sent an email that displays what might be interpreted as a somewhat less enthusiastic disposition toward the topic:

5pm speech on renewable energy - pls put as tentative on the sched and have someone draft the speech.
Thanks.
-- Tom Zeller

06/10/2011 1:50 PM A Call For Openness With The Press
Long before Palin went behind her social media bunker and started pursuing a media strategy of only speaking to friendly allies, she encouraged her administration to be fully open with the press, because "Alaskans deserve better than the tried and failed efforts of past administrations' withholding information and expressed opinions by decisions makers."

In a Jan. 28, 2007 email, she wrote:

There was a quip in this moming's ADN re: a "ban" from me on anyone voicing their opinions on matters before us. The 'Ear wrote of my supposed instruction to not allow cabinet members/staff to take positions on some issues.
Since this is totally false, and leaves me at a loss as to how a reporter would have ever received word of something that is the opposite of what l've expressed to all of you, I'll clarify again what has already been expressed by me as my desire to see you all have the freedom to communicate with the public and press in any and all manner you deem appropriate. The goal is for the public to be able to trust that our administration is transparent and trustworthy, so you all personally communicating views and opinions is very important and would NEVER be banned.
I have NEVER banned any of our team members from voicing opinions on anything. In fact, I've stated that the more information and communication efforts put forth on behalf of your departments and divisions, the better. I've asked that you all share your opinions, speak freely to press, public, legislators, one another, etc. (In other words, don't do what past administrations have done. I have faith that we're on the right path going a new direction here with freedom in information sharing. Alaskans deserve better than the tried and failed efforts of past administrations' withholding information and expressed opinions by decisions makers.)
-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 1:42 PM Palin: Hey Exxon, Quit Being Such "Stinkers To Us" In The Press
On March 12, 2007, then-Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell emailed Palin that he heard Exxon was being "nasty in the press lately toward us" because they thought Palin cut a deal with MidAmerican, a major Midwest energy company, to build a natural gas pipeline tapping Alaska reserves.

"Amazing and ill-informed," Parnell wrote to Palin, but something that is "lurking in the background."

Palin replied that Exxon's impression was "totally off base" and urged Parnell to remind Alaska's congressional delegation in an upcoming meeting why a gasline is key to Alaska's economy. "Hopefully they'll know that Exxon does not have to be such stinkers to us in the press - that Exxon has a duty to develop, etc.," she wrote.

-- Jen Bendery

06/10/2011 1:33 PM Keeping It PG
Even when they were stressed and angry, the folks in Palinland found ways to keep their language chaste. For example, when TransCanada President Hal Kvisle, speaking about the ongoing negotiations to build the natural-gas pipeline said, "Nothing goes ahead until Exxon is happy with it," Joe Balash -- who was Palin's special assistant on the state's energy developments -- let Palin know, and termed Kvisle's remarks to be poorly thought out and badly timed. Palin replied, "Unflippingbelievable."

Balash kept his invective Disney-friendly as well. When KTUU reporter Mike Ross called up looking for a quote on the matter, he referred to him as "numero uno jerko."

Not exactly Rahm Emanuel-esque.

-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 1:32 PM Palin Praises Obama Energy Policy Speech
Michael Shear at The New York Times points to positive remarks Palin made in August of 2008 on a speech then-presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered on the issue of energy policy.

"He gave a great speech this morn in Michigan -- mentioned Alaska," she wrote in an email to aides. "Stole our Energy Rebate $1000 check idea, stole our TC-Alaska gasoline talking points, etc."

Palin, who had not yet been tapped to run as John McCain's running mate, suggested an aide craft a statement on "good points" made by Obama in his remarks.

Earlier this year, in a sign that times have changed, Palin said of Obama during an appearance on Fox Business, "His naive and destructive and terrifying anti-oil agenda is going to bring our nation to our knees and his agenda must be stopped."

-- Elyse Siegel

06/10/2011 1:28 PM Reporter As Cheerleader
At least one person is bound to be embarrassed by this massive Palin email dump -- local Alaskan reporter Tom Miller. There's a fine line between sucking up to a source and drinking the Kool-Aid. In a Sept. 3, 2008 email sent to Palin and one of her staffers, Miller guzzles the Kool-Aid.

Miller forwards along a missive he wrote to other journalists concerning allegedly inaccurate reporting on the Bridge to Nowhere. But he destroys his credibility by adding this note:

I thought you might like to see this e-mail I sent off to the media big shots this morning. I would send it to her and to the Republican establishment, but have no idea how to do that or how long before anyone might see it.
Good luck in the new job.
Go Palin!
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 1:21 PM Palin Team Expects Better From Local TV News
On Aug. 19, 2008, Palin spokesman Bill McAllister sent a furious email to Steve McDonald, news director at Anchorage NBC affiliate KTUU-TV. McAllister was miffed to see that a story on "phantom budget cuts" happened to follow a rape/murder spot.

"Tonight's story at 5 was horrifying," McAllister wrote. "To bring up a sensational murder and rape, to throw in Monegan, and then to talk about phantom budget cuts with no attribution was simply appalling to the governor."

-- Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 1:20 PM Palin's Pop Quiz
Palin's Pop Quiz: What's the biggest private employer in Alaska?

"Safe to say [t]hat fisheries are our largest private-sector employer in the state? (Tourism is second?)" Palin queried staffers and her husband in January 2008.

"I'm sure it's correct but want verification," she added in a later email. Staffer Frank Bailey suggested that it might be construction. "Considering the caneries I believe it's fish," Palin replied.

According to the Alaska Department of Labor, fewer than 10,000 people were in "seafood processing" in April 2011, while nearly twice as many worked in construction. (That figure presumably doesn't include the fishermen and women themselves, or cable staffers who ride along.) Meanwhile, 30,400 worked in "leisure and hospitality." That's more than twice as many as oil and gas.

-- Ryan Grim

06/10/2011 1:17 PM Beef, Tequila And Condoms
By early September, Palin had already hit the campaign trail as Sen. McCain's V.P. pick. That did not stop a band's publicist from inviting her to a party to help celebrate its popularity on MySpace.

Alexis Rivera of Echo Park Records wrote Palin on Sept. 11, 2008:

BBQ at my mansion manana from 6-10PM to celebrate Preston surpassing 10,000 friends on MySpace. The Strange Boys...are playing (at 7:30 sharp!), so tip the kids, and bring beef, tequila, and condoms.
Palin did not RSVP -- but she did forward the invite on to her scheduler five days later.

-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 1:10 PM Gingrich Sought Palin's Advice
While Palin was still in office, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sought her advice about pushing offshore drilling legislation at the state level.

In an email sent on July 22, 2008, Gingrich wrote to Palin:

Someone recomended to me that we study the alaskan model of revenue distribution back to the citizens and get bills introduced in the state legislature in california florida and elsewhere that if they do go to offshore drilling they should split the revenue stream with a specified amount (maybe half) going to the citizens as a direct benefit.
Gingrich then asked Palin for more details on about the division of revenue between the state government and citizens, saying he wanted an expert to explain "all this to me." Gingrich was instrumental in turning offshore drilling into a campaign issue during the '08 election.

The Anchorage Daily News' Sean Cockerham notes that prior to the presidential campaign, communications director Roseanne Hughes encouraged other aides to use Gingrich's own words to defend the governor. In an email from April 24, 2008, Hughes told staffers to get grassroots supporters "out there FLOODING that Anchorage Daily News Alaska politics blog. I mean FLOODING."

One of the ideas circulated as strategy was "Quoting Newt Gingrich that Governor Palin is one of the most aggressive reformers in the country."

For more on the Palin-Gingrich relationship, read this report from the Los Angeles Times.

--Tyler Kingkade

06/10/2011 12:46 PM Troopergate Pressure?
A 2008 report found that Palin had "abused her power as Governor," partly because she forced out Walt Monegan, Alaska's Public Safety Commissioner, after he supposedly resisted pressure from her family to fire the state trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's ex-brother-in-law.

At the time, Palin insisted to the press that she'd never "pressured" Monegan to fire Wooten. But what did she say in her private emails?

At least one is bound to disappoint detractors. "I don't believe there were ANY Monegan-pressured calls," she wrote to staff members and political allies on August 15, 2008.

-- Saki Knafo

06/10/2011 12:40 PM Big Oil Wanted To Meet
A little more than two weeks after McCain picked her as his running mate, Palin got a request to meet with Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil. On Sept. 17, 2008, Tillerson's reps emailed:

Rex Tillerson CEO of Exxon Mobile would like a meeting with you and would like to see if there is an opportunity for you two to meet while you are in Dallas on Oct. 3? If you have an opportunity to call during your busy day I would like to get Joe Balash on the phone to discuss and fill in the blanks for you.
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 12:37 PM Palin on VP Run: God's Will Must Be Done!
On August 29, 2008, the day Palin delivered her speech accepting the VP nomination, her director of communications Rosanne Hughes gushed about how proud Palin's staff was of her and vowed to bring God on board with her candidacy:

"I'm asking all my prayer partners to intercede for you," Hughes wrote. Palin replied, "YES! Thank you- please pray for wisdom and favor and for HIS will only to be done. Thank you!!!"

-- Jen Bendery

06/10/2011 12:36 PM Palin Aide Concerned Over Rising Unemployment In 2008
Palin aide Ivy Frye asked Alaska's Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Clark Bishop what could be done about rising unemployment in May of 2008. In her email to Bishop, Frye pasted a story about the rate popping up to 6.7 percent. (It currently stands at 7.3 percent, below the national average of 9.1 percent.)

I read that Alaska's unemployment rate rose slightly this year, and that the national average is up also. What do you think is attributing to this trend? What is the state (DOL) doing to lower our rate? How do we get back near the 4,200 added jobs in 2006?
Frye copied Todd Palin on the email, saying "he's focused on building our workforce like you are."

Bishop responded, in part:

In my opinion, capital construction dollars are a very important piece of the economic picture in Alaska. With the downturn in FHWA and other federal funding, it's imperative that we as a state keep our capital dollars whole; it's new money that creates jobs and, typically, new construction dollars reverberate through the economy 6-7 times. It also keeps our Alaskan contractors busy and gives us a place to put more entry level apprentices to work on projects now. We will need these people in future gasline construction as well as to fill impending skills gaps in the construction, oil and gas, and mining industries.
-- Arthur Delaney

06/10/2011 12:23 PM Travel And Ethics: "There Seems To Be Confusion"
More than a year before the Washington Post publicly revealed that Gov. Palin had billed state-funded per diems for 312 nights spent at home, the governor's scheduler sent an email about "confusion" surrounding "travel and ethics for the Governor and First Gentleman."

Kari Spencer's March 7, 2007 email was sent to Sarah and Todd, along with Alaska Attorney General Tavis Colberg, who was asked to give the family a refresher course on what they could and could not do:

There seems to be confusion on the answers to questions about First Gentleman and children's travel and per diem, using the King Air, TA's, per diem, and so forth. The idea is to do things right from the get-go so we don't have any questions about how we should have done it later.
In July 2008, before McCain chose Palin as his running mate, critics in Alaska raised concerns about the governor's travels with her daughter Piper to Barrow, Alaska. The family's use of a King Air propeller plane owned by the state Department of Public Safety also received press scrutiny.

-- Matt Sledge

06/10/2011 12:20 PM From The Editor's Desk
On Aug. 30, 2008, the day after Sen. McCain picked then-Gov. Palin to be his running mate, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol congratulated Palin's communications director Bill McAllister in an email and included a glowing piece he wrote for the following week's issue that had just been published online.

You must have had an interesting couple of days…Congratulations, and pls pass on to the Governor, if you would…She might be interested in my editorial in the new TWS, just up online..
Would love to talk if you have a second, c: 202-XXX-XXXX
Bill K
Kristol, who had met with Palin the previous year when the Weekly Standard went on a cruise to Alaska, was one of the only political pundits mentioning her as a potential vice presidential pick in the months before she got the nomination.

-- Michael Calderone

06/10/2011 12:08 PM A Call From Cheney
On the same day that she was chosen to be Sen. John McCain's running mate, then-Gov. Sarah Palin received a call from Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Governor - Congratulations to you and your family!," wrote Janice Mason, the governor's scheduler, on August 29, 2008. "We love you."

"I just received a call from VP Dick Cheney. He called directly from his home and asked that you give him a call. Here is his direct number."

The number is redacted, sadly.

-- Sam Stein

06/10/2011 12:05 PM Communication Breakdown
On Aug. 20, 2008, less than 10 days before McCain picked Palin to be his running mate, Palin staffer Tara Jollie sent her an email about the bad office vibe:

I am bothered by what I perceive as an unnecessary paranoid reaction by some people on staff to the recent attacks on you.
First of all, if one is accused of communicating inappropriately and therefore changes their behavior, they are saying to the accuser 'you are right. I was wrong. I will change how I communicate.' Abandoning email practice for example. This is a whole new world that election folks and legal folks haven't even begun to analyze. It will change our world. In fact, I believe the effects of email were apparent in your campaign....
We need to stand tall, shoulders back, look critics dead in the eye, and say 'I haven't done a thing I need to apologize for.'
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 12:01 PM This Means W.A.R.
Wayne Anthony Ross, a far-right wing Alaska lawyer who Palin nominated for Alaska Attorney General in 2009 -- and whose nomination was rejected by the state legislature -- is perhaps best summed up by his initials, which he sports on his vanity plates. Among his more bellicose statements was his description of gay Alaskans as "degenerates."

Apparently, he disapproved of Palin's handling of criticism of her role in the Troopergate scandal. From his August 21, 2008 email to the governor: "I think you're being too nice."

Signed WAR, of course.

-- Saki Knafo

06/10/2011 11:58 AM Palin Aide: "VP Buzz" Is "Pretty Cool"
Months before Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) picked her as his running mate, then-Governor Sarah Palin was expressing some interest (at least privately) in the post.

In an email sent on June 4, 2008, her aide Ivy Frye noted that McCain was being pushed to choose Palin for the VP slot.

"The second and third articles I've seen on vp buzz just today," wrote Frye. "Pretty cool."

Before that, Frye sent an email to other aides, as well as Palin's husband, Todd Palin, titled "VP Madness in ADN [Anchorage Daily News]." Enclosed was a write up of another article suggesting that Palin had advanced to round two in the VP sweepstakes.

Even earlier than that, in February 2008, another top aide, Frank Bailey, circulated a San Francisco Chronicle piece that referred to Palin as "Alaska's young, hot, Vogue-posing, female Republican governor" who "could become the popular favorite to be Sen. John McCain's running mate."

"Wow!" Bailey wrote. "The First Dude's mentioned too!"

The February coverage coincided with a trip the Palins took to Washington, D.C. to meet McCain. Frye wrote to Todd Palin on Feb. 21: "I hope you guys have a fun and productive time in DC. I especially hope you guys get some time to relax. Tell McCain I say hi, and my best to all the first ladies," Frye wrote Todd Palin.

"I'm packing my dress now," the First Dude wrote back.

"Ha! I hope it's long enough to cover your bruises," Frye replied.

It's a reminder of just how obscure and unknown these individuals were before they took over the nation's political attention.

-- Sam Stein and Ryan Grim

06/10/2011 11:56 AM Palin Flags A Seatbelt Rumor
On July 15, 2008, Palin sent an email complaining about a blog item at the ADN, asking Frank Bailey to "flag a lie."

Can someone flag the lie in the blog "sexy highway talk among governors" that claims Trig was in the fender bender with me -- and he wasn't in a car seat on my commute. Sheeesh.
I WISH ADN would follow up on that one (as the blogger asks ADN to do) so that I can put that rumor to rest...Rumor is Walt reported me so I fired him. What an idiot blog entry, very easy to counter with the truth when half a dozen APD cops responded and witnessed no Trig in vehicle.
References to Troopergate aside, it would appear that Palin's complaint about this Trig-was-incorrectly-buckled-up rumor was a legitimate one, especially if she could lay hands on a half-dozen witnesses.

Here is the blog item she refers to. If it made an entry out of this "fender bender," it doesn't anymore. There are commenters discussing it, suggesting that it may have been redacted after the fact. Bailey promised to "get some flags on it." Seems to have done the trick.

-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 11:48 AM Some Guy Named Barack Obama
On Feb. 19, 2007, deputy legislative director Chris Clark recommended to Palin that she meet Pete Rouse, "who's now chief of staff for some guy named Barack Obama," when she was in Washington, D.C. on an upcoming trip.

Palin's reply: "I'm game to meet him."

It's worth noting that Obama announced he was running for president on Feb. 10 -- so this email was either incredibly close-minded, or sarcastic.

-- Marcus Baram

06/10/2011 11:40 AM Palin: Climate Change a 'Top Issue'
On Sept. 15, 2008, Palin reached out to the heads of the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to prep for questions she expected during the campaign. "I anticipate folks will be inquiring about our polar bear issue," Palin wrote. She added, "Climate change is a top issue of course. Just a head's up."

In response, DEC chief Hartig wrote, "We are prepared to respond to questions from the media on the work your administration is doing relating to Climate Change."

-- Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 11:39 AM We Didn't Eat The Moose Meat
Apropos of nothing, here's the email cache's first mention of moose. In a July 27, 2008 email, Palin wrote:

Would u fire off a short swet email or call to Medred explaining the moose complaint was brought forward once we knew about - we didn't know when it happened! And no, we didn't participate in eating the moose meat. We knew about it when Mike bragged to others about it and others complained about it us.
-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 11:34 AM Background Checks?
So much for that staff vetting. Palin staffer Tara Jollie, in an Aug. 10, 2008 email, had to break the news to her boss that she may have a criminal working for her:

I heard in a public forum last week that D. (Department of Labor) solicited bribes as an elected official. This public statement was made by Julie Kitka. D. is still working for you. I have no personal feeling about this person at all. This is for your information...
-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 11:33 AM The Sketch That Could Have Been
On Sept. 16, 2008, Revenue Commissioner Patrick Galvin suggested to Palin that she “offer to go on SNL and play Tina Fey, and you interview her as she plays you."

Palin appeared on "Saturday Night Live” a month later but didn’t interview Fey. Instead, she stood alongside Lorne Michaels and Alec Baldwin as Fey -- playing Palin -- held a mock press conference. Later, she danced while Amy Poehler rapped about Alaska on “Weekend Update.”

-- Michael Calderone

06/10/2011 11:30 AM Dinosaurs Even?!
On Sept. 15, 2008, Palin communications director Bill McAllister sent the governor a list of queries he'd been fielding from reporters covering the campaign. Though the top priority was Palin's use of personal emails for public business, one of the questions he'd received apparently dealt with Palin's beliefs regarding evolution and creationism: "Is it your belief that dinosaurs and humans co-existed at one time?"

McAllister told the governor, "I said I have never spoken to you about this," but then he added, parenthetically, "There is an interesting reference to 'Behemoth' in the Old Testament."

In response, Palin wrote, "Arghhhh! I am so sorry that the office is swamped like this! Dinosaurs even?!"

-- Dave Jamieson

06/10/2011 11:29 AM Todd Palin Hit Up RGA For Mavs Tix
The Palins were lambasted during the 2008 campaign for spending big Republican Party money on clothes and other items for their family. But the family was tapping into the party long before she was asked to be on the ticket. On April 15, 2008, Todd Palin emailed an official at the Republican Governors Association, with a request:

Christi, any chance we can hook up with Dallas Mavericks' bball tickets for their game here tomorrow night? Just checking... Thanks! Todd Palin, Alaska
The Mavericks, according to their 2008 schedule, were playing the New Orleans Hornets that night.

-- Ryan Grim

06/10/2011 11:28 AM Face-Time Requests
In early August 2008, Steve Branchflower, a retired prosecutor, was appointed as special counsel to the state legislature to investigate Gov. Palin's firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Branchflower emailed Palin on Aug. 3 to ask for a little non-case-related face time:

Since we've never met, I would like to come by your office for a couple of minutes to say hi. What I have in mind is just a quick meet and greet, not a big deal, and not to talk about the case either. I just want to introduce myself and meet some of your staff. By then I should have my office location details and contact info ready for you. I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with me, and this informal meeting can serve as a good ice breaker for both of us.
On Aug. 5, Palin wrote Sean Parnell, who would succeed her as governor of Alaska, about Branchflower's request. She thought it was "sort of bizarre."

-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 11:26 AM No Matter Too Trivial For Media Pushback
Palin was apparently prone to some fairly robust pushback on criticism that appeared in the local media, and no item was too small to react to. Take the following letter to the editor, from July 26, 2008, from Judy Spry:

Where was Miss Alaska story?
I am surprised and disappointed that I have not seen any coverage in the news (print or television) on Miss Alaska! The pageant was on Saturday, July 19, and I still haven't heard seen any coverage of the winners.
From what I understand, Gov. Sarah Palin, a former Miss Alaska herself, was holding an event during the day downtown and she didn't even take the time to stop by and show her support.
It makes me sad. Alaska is a proud state. I think that some interest and respect should be shown to Miss Alaska, Stephany Jeffers, who will be representing our great state in the Miss America Pageant on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.
-- Judi Spry
This letter ran at a time when Palin's camp was busy dealing with Chuck Kopp's sudden resignation from his post as Public Safety Commissioner. (Kopp was given the job after Walt Monegan was dismissed by Palin.) But Palin still had time to coordinate a response: "I'm looking for someone to correct the letter writer's goofy comments, but don't want the letter to the ADN in response to come from me."

Palin's enforcer, Ivy Frye, recommended: "Kristian Cole would be perfect as she knows the pageant world," adding, "I'll touch base w her today, and Frank to make sure we're sending variations and not duplicates of this letter."

Palin responded: "Phil had one [yesterday] about kopp so won't run more from him I presume."

Palin had a legitimate reason to miss the pageant. She had a prior commitment to attend the "statewide Governor's Annual COmmunity Picnics" in Fairbanks, and greet "seven US Congressmen who were touring ANWR." She sent along a video to support the pageant participants, and Todd "spent two days judging the event." So, Spry was out of line, but it's hard to say why this demanded any further attention beyond a call to an editor to set things right.

-- Jason Linkins

06/10/2011 11:19 AM Legislature Expressed Frustration With Palin
On Aug. 2, 2008, Palin staffer Tara Jollie reported back to her boss that the Alaska state legislature wasn't happy with her work -- or rather, her lack of work.

After meeting with a state representative's staffer, Jolie wrote Governor Palin: "In a nutshell, I learned that: There is a frustration with the governor's office because they expect more legislation (or ideas) from the Governor because she is our elected leader."

-- Jason Cherkis

06/10/2011 11:09 AM A Strained Relationship Revealed
Looks like Palin had a testy relationship with Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).

On Sept. 16, 2008, Palin's chief of staff Mike Nizich wrote to Palin that Young wanted to "have a word with you" but wouldn't specify the issue. Palin replied to Nizich, "Pls find out what it's about. I don't want to get chewed out by him yet again. I'm not up for that."

-- Jen Bendery

06/10/2011 10:39 AM They're Live
The first batch of emails is live -- look through them here.

06/10/2011 10:14 AM Hard At Work
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza tweets:

"The emails detail a Governor hard at work. Everyone should read them." -- Sarah PAC treasurer Tim Crawford.
06/10/2011 10:12 AM Here's What You Need To Know Before Reading The Emails
HuffPost's Dean Praetorius has a primer.

06/09/2011 6:25 PM What Can Be Expected From The Disclosure
The AP reported prior to the release of the documents:

It's not clear yet whether the 24,199 pages being released will contain any major revelations, but they will provide a fresh look at the inner-workings of her office from the time she took office in December 2006 to her ascension to vice presidential nominee in September 2008. Requests have been made for emails from her final 10 months in office. The state hasn't begun the process of reviewing those yet. Palin resigned partway through her term, in July 2009.
Prior records requests have shed light on the Palin administration's efforts to advance a natural gas pipeline project and the role played by Palin's husband in state business.

Source: huffingtonpost.com and CNN.com