Ron Devito: MSNBC’s Sarah Palin Investigation Reveals Nothing; Updated

Last night, in an excellent post, Tommy Report discussed the silly "investigation" into Governor Palin's emails by ace MSNBC investigative reporter Bill Dedman. (I know...being "ace" anything at MSNBC is like being chief water boy for the local t-ball team.) TR's post included a full statement by Thomas Van Flein, Governor Palin's attorney. Today Ron Devito at US For Palin takes another look at the faux scandal manufactured by the ratings-challenged MSNBC:

Today’s flavor of leftist manufactured “Sarah Palin scandal” pertains to emails, staff, and Todd Palin’s role as an adviser. None other than MSNBC — renowned for its hatred of all things Palin — did an “investigative piece,” Palin e-mails reveal a powerful ‘first dude’ in an attempt to paint a picture of Governor Palin as a “Nixon-esque” conniver bent on securing personal and political gain at any cost, and using her husband as a “shadow governor.” To build their case, MSNBC secured an archive of state and private emails — some 3,000 pages (Dedman, 2010, ¶2).

Of course, Dedman took issue with Governor Palin’s use of private email accounts, despite the fact that Alaska’s Superior Court on January 22, 2010 ruled that Governor Palin’s use of these accounts was perfectly legal.

[...]

So, what is the major scandal that lurks here? Hint: It does not involve: black bag burglaries, “plumbers,” wiretapping, embezzling, kickbacks, tax evasion, threats, harassment, intimidation, murder, arson, mayhem, buried bodies, drunk driving, sexual indiscretion, or other act of moral turpitude. All of the foregoing — items that are real scandals — have felled politicians of both parties over the past 30 years, but none of that is operative here.

So, what is the big scandal revealed in 3,000 pages of emails? Ladies and gentlemen, there were two major scandals uncovered. Let’s start that drum roll……

▪ Governor Palin wanted Todd to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables for the family and avoid processed foods (Dedman, 2010, ¶19).

▪ Governor Palin, for the first time in four years wanted to carve out two hours to see Juno with Todd and without the children (Dedman, 2010, ¶21).

Tada! Alaska’s chief executive wanted her husband of 20 years and her children to eat healthy foods, and she wanted to spend some time with her husband to watch a movie. This is a scandal?

[...]

Dedman tried to make a scandal out of routine items like electrical circuits in the Governor’s Mansion, and travel to bill signings throughout the article.

“Most horrifically,” Todd Palin was an advisor to Governor Palin. Let’s see….like Hillary Clinton was to her husband? Like politicians’ spouses have been since time immemorial? Yes indeed, Todd was an adviser to his wife Gov. Sarah Palin, who was at the time Alaska’s CEO. Every request that MSNBC tried to scandalize was routine, appropriate, or it was private emails from private accounts about private family matters.

The "expert" Dedman relies on to help him sort through the emails is none other than Andree McLeod, as Devito explains:

Dedman cites Andree McLeod as his subject matter expert on Gov. Palin’s emails throughout this article. McLeod had filed numerous frivolous ethics charges against Governor Palin, all of which were dismissed. Some of the charges filed were duplicates of charges filed by others that had also been dismissed. McLeod had a personal vendetta against Governor Palin, because she was denied a state job. She would routinely stalk Governor Palin, loitering in the lobby of the Anchorage state building and following her to events for the purpose of inquiring about working for the state. On one occasion, she approached Gov. Palin — who was pregnant with Trig at the time — in a hotel lobby. Following Governor Palin’s resignation, McLeod kept the frivolous complaints coming. A member of the State Personnel Board finally had enough of it and told her to “quit your b*tching!”

[...]

Perhaps MSNBC is trying to do what Jerry Seinfeld could not do for his pilot — a show about nothing.

Read the rest of Devito's piece here.

Update: To see Gary P. Jackson's take on this, go here.