Palin Accused of Conflict of Interest

She and her family head to Alaska

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin has abruptly cut short her bus tour and gone home to Alaska before hitting such planned destinations as Iowa and South Carolina. Though the trip had no formally announced schedule, Real Clear Politics reports that top aides had drafted an itinerary that would have seen her tour the Southeast and Midwest this month. More»

Orion Strategies a registered agent for Taiwan, Georgia

(NEWSER) - The company Sarah Palin is paying for foreign policy advice is also being paid to lobby lawmakers on behalf of Taiwan, Georgia, and Montenegro. Palin's political action committee isn't breaking any laws by hiring Orion Strategies, Reuters notes, but the firm's work on behalf of foreign governments raises questions about the impartiality of the advice she's getting. More»

Report has lawyer costing $30K per hour

(NEWSER) - A spreadsheet from Sarah Palin's office detailing spending on ethics complaints and lawsuits is riddled with discrepancies, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The administrative director of Palin's office says accidental double-counting added $26,849 to the $1.9 million total. She plans to make inquiries about other parts of the spreadsheet, including a line in which 0.3 hours of an attorney's time seems to have cost more than $10,000. More»

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin says she's drowning in a rising tide of frivolous ethics complaints, the AP reports. Most of the 18 complaints have been dismissed, but Palin's office says she's $500,000 in legal debt and facing accusations that "have been politically or personally motivated." Rallying to her side, supporters have raised $109,000 in a week-long Webathon to bankroll her legal defenses. More»

Alaska's GOP chief: number of grievances 'unprecedented'

(NEWSER) - The world’s most famous hockey mom is skating on thin ice with some of her constituents, Politico reports. Sarah Palin has fielded more than a dozen complaints from Alaskan citizens in the last 7 months, concerning everything from the governor’s use of state funds, her political action committee, and even a jacket she wore to a snow machine race. More»