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Palin to return donations from tainted politicians
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-26 14:34 JUNEAU, Alaska -- Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said late Thursday she would donate to charity more than $1,000 in campaign contributions from two Alaska politicians who were implicated in a sprawling public corruption scandal. She's also handing back another $1,000 from the wife of one of the men.
The ensuing scandal became a rallying point for candidate Palin, who was swept into office after promising voters she would rid Alaska's capital of dirty politics. "Of course, Governor Palin has made a career of holding herself to the highest standards of ethics. As soon as the governor learned of the donations today, she immediately decided to donate them to charity," said the spokesman, Taylor Griffin. Griffin said he did not know which charity would receive the money from Palin's old campaign fund, but expected the return to take place as early as Friday. The two men were snagged in a federal investigation that revolves around an oil field services company once known as VECO Corp. Executives from the company remain at the center of the trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens that began this week in Washington. Palin felt so strongly about the public corruption indictment of once-powerful Sen. John Cowdery this summer that she urged him to resign, but not strongly enough to return the $1,000 he gave to help get her elected. Cowdery was indicted in July on two federal bribery counts; the other donor, former Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch, is awaiting trial. The contributions to the joint campaign of Palin and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell did not suggest any wrongdoing, lawmakers typically spread donations around to other candidates, and none had any obvious connection to the rising Republican star before she took office. But they were a political liability. |
