MSNBC.com and a handful of other news organizations have been waiting patiently—very, very, very patiently—for the 25,000 emails Sarah and Todd Palin sent to each other and to 51 key state employees while she was governor of Alaska. And her former staff wants them to wait a little longer. Though state regulations generally require such records be made publicly available within 10 days, the governor's office is requesting its 15th delay, of five months, til May 30. If it's approved, MSNBC notes that its request will have been pending for 986 days. Sarah Palin's time in office? 966.
MSNBC.com, AP, et al requested the emails in 2008, after John McCain announced the mostly unknown Palin as his running mate. Alaska regulations permit the attorney general to approve the delay if going ahead with the request would hamper the functioning of the office. On Monday, Day 832, Palin's administrative director and the sender of the new delay request, said the office was having two assistant attorneys general work full-time to review the records, at a total cost of $570,000. She says that to date, only 30% of the emails have been reviewed.
(More Sarah Palin stories.)