Palin E-Mails Suggest Tension With McCain Staffers

In the wake of Vanity Fair's scathing exposé detailing tensions between Sarah Palin and many former staffers to John McCain during the '08 presidential campaign, CBS News has obtained an e-mail exchange between Palin and high-level McCain advisers reinforcing the perception that the relationship was anything but harmonious.

The subject of the e-mails was the then-growing controversy about whether Palin's husband, Todd, had been a member of the Alaska Independence Party, a group that advocated the state's secession from the union. More broadly, the e-mail chain highlights the tension between the governor and McCain's campaign brain trust over the Palin family image.

Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party from 1995 to 2002, and Sarah Palin delivered a pre-recorded message to the party's 2008 convention. However, when Salon.com and, later, CNN ran stories examining this history, the governor shot off the following message to McCain chief strategist Steve Schmidt, campaign manager Rick Davis and senior adviser Nicole Wallace:

"Pls get in front of that ridiculous issue that's cropped up all day today--two reporters, a protester's sign, and many shout-outs all claiming Todd's involvement in an anti-American Political party. It's bull, and I don't want ot have to keep reacting to it...Pls have a statement given on this so it's just put to bed."

As CBS chronicles, Schmidt replied to everyone in the e-mail chain "less than five minutes later":

"Ignore it. He was a member of the aip? My understanding is yes. That is part of their platform. Do not engage the protestors. If a reporter asks say it is ridiculous. Todd loves america."

Palin added five more staffers to the recipient list, and responded:

"That's not part of their platform and he was only a 'member' bc independent alaskans too often check that 'Alaska Independent' box on voter registrations thinking it means non partisan. He caught his error when changing our address and checked the right box. I still want it fixed."

Was the governor deliberately trying to mislead McCain's staffers? The record of Todd Palin's involvement with the Alaska Independence Party was not exactly a secret, nor was the party's goal to secede from the union. Schmidt was not thrilled by the way the exchange was evolving, and responded to all the recipients on the chain with a final statement:

"Secession. It is their entire reason for existence. A cursory examination of the website shows that the party exists for the purpose of seceding from the union. That is the stated goal on the front page of the web site. Our records indicate that todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be inaccurate. The inaccuracy would bring greater media attention to this matter and be a distraction. According to your staff there have been no media inquiries into this and you have received no questions about it during your interviews. If you are asked about it you should smile and say many alaskans who love their country join the party because it speaks to a tradition of political independence. Todd loves his country."

In tandem with the anonymously sourced Vanity Fair piece, this new CBS story fleshes out some of the difficulties experienced by the McCain staff when dealing with Palin.


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