Emails Reveal Todd Palin's Power

Todd Palin had a massive amount of power in his wife’s administration in Alaska, recently released emails confirm. The missives, obtained by NBC through the state’s public records law, show the “first dude” was heavily involved in judicial appointments, contract negotiations with public employees, and state board appointments. He also received background checks on a corporate CEO, and passed financial information marked “confidential” from the oil company that employed him to a state attorney.

Other emails shed light on the Palins’ personal use of state resources; in one, the governor discusses ways to disguise the electrical work needed to install her new tanning bed in the governor’s mansion, and in others her staff looks for public events to justify personal travel. The state also withheld 243 emails on the grounds of executive privilege—including one on how to deal with “media questions about Todd Palin’s work and potential conflict of interests.” (More Sarah Palin stories.)