EXIT STRATEGY

Palin Accused of Legal Slush Fund

Donations to cope with debts may be unethical.

This is no way to go about the business of "progressing Alaska." A legal fund set up by Sarah Palin to cope with her mounting legal debts may have been a violation of ethics laws, an independent investigator has found. The investigator's report alleges that the fund amounts to "unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts." The report does not recommend further legal procedures however, instead only advising that Palin does not accept money from the fund. The Associated Press reports that the total amount of donations the fund received is unclear, though a fundraising drive over the Internet last month earned $130,000. Palin has said she owes at least $500,000 in legal fees. The man who filed the ethics complaint regarding the fund noted that Palin has not directly addressed it. "When ethics complaints are dismissed, she's quick to publicly respond, but this one, she's sitting on," he said.