WASHINGTON — During the 2 1/2 years that his wife, Sarah, was governor of Alaska and then a vice presidential candidate, Todd Palin inserted himself into a host of state decisions, including judicial nominations and gas-pipeline bids, according to e-mails released Friday.
Before Sarah Palin resigned her office in July, the “First Dude,” as Todd Palin became known, weighed in on appointments to state boards, labor disputes and the use of government aircraft, according to the documents, which were obtained by MSNBC.com under Alaska’s public-record law.
The governor’s husband also forwarded confidential financial information about his longtime employer, the oil and gas company BP, to a state attorney, e-mails posted online by MSNBC.com show.
The trove of 3,000 private messages sent and received by Todd Palin further illuminate the personal quirks, machinations and frustrations of the Palin family, from plans to install a tanning bed in the governor’s mansion to their gripes about the media.
Linda Perez, administrative director of the Alaska governor’s office, confirmed the e-mails’ authenticity Friday to The Washington Post.
More than 240 additional e-mails were withheld because of executive privilege, MSNBC.com reported.
A 36-page log of those e-mails shows they cover topics such as “potential veto items” in the state budget, possible lawsuits, a proposed petroleum tax, “strategy for responding to questions about pregnancy” and a “child’s orthodontist visit.”
It is unclear from the messages how much impact Todd Palin had on government decision-making.
