Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Washington Post

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state, a review of state records shows.

The 41 gifts Palin accepted during her 20 months as governor include honorific tributes, expensive artwork and free travel for a family member. They also include more than $2,500 in personal items from Calista, a large Alaska native corporation with a variety of pending state regulatory and budgetary issues, and a gold-nugget pin valued at $1,200 from the city of Nome, which lobbies on municipal, local and capital budget matters, documents show.

About a quarter of the entities bestowing gifts on the governor are represented by one of Alaska's most influential mining lobbyists, who said in an interview that she was not involved in the tributes. The lobbyist, Wendy Chamberlain, has a relationship with the governor's family through the friendship of their teenage daughters.
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On forms disclosing the gifts, Palin, who is the Republican vice presidential nominee, routinely checked "no" when asked whether she was in a position to "take official action that may affect the person who gave me the gift," and a spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign said the gifts had no undue influence on her.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092503988.html?nav=rss_politics/elections

[SpiralHawk]

1. When it comes to sleazebag hypocrisy, no one can touch the republicons

[DCKit]

3. Ewwwwwww.

And if you do (touch them), Cipro is your only haven.

What they got, I don't want - Series brane disease.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. Lobbyist across the nation are rubbing their hands together in glee.

She not only speaks their language, she's going to be cheap and easy buy-off compared to what they're used to.

[Mabus]

4. I guess there are times when she says, "thanks and thanks again"

I'd even wager that she says "thanks and thanks again" to lobbyists more than she says "thanks but no thanks".

[LiberalFighter]

5. Did Todd receive any bribery?

[Darwins Doberman]

8. he was too busy raising a secessionist army to attack fort sumter

Freeing Alaska from the tyrannical occupying American government is a full time job, when you're not being a commercial fisherman, or doing contract work, or sled dog racing to get away from your batshit crazy wife.

[bobd0]

6. Another reason Peabrain is all for drilling

The low-class criminal is expecting more chachki from her lobbyist friends.

[OakCliffDem]

7. Typical Republican with hand in cookie jar

[HopeHoops]

9. Only $25K? That certainly puts her in the minor league of GOP sleeze - Some "hockey mom" indeed.

[Blackhatjack]

10. There you have it! "McCain's presidential campaign said the gifts had no undue influence on her"

McCain vouched for her --she gets to keep the goodies!!!

[fascisthunter]

11. Who are Republicans Fooling... their politicians ARE LOBBYISTS

They are paid hacks by big multinational corporations who get paid to play....

[Zuiderelle]

12. I haven't received gifts totaling that amount in my entire LIFETIME.

What a HYPOCRITE.