Palin Critic Gets Death Threat
Mother Jones reports:
Responding to criticism she received after the January 8 Tucson shootings, Sarah Palin referred to death threats she and her children have received, suggesting that the Palin clan have been victims of heated political rhetoric. And an aide noted that the Palin team was consulting with security professionals. Andree McLeod, a prominent Palin critic in Alaska, could also use such help, for she has been publicly threatened with assassination—just for requesting, under Alaska's open records act, the work-related emails Palin sent and received while governor.
On December 29, the Anchorage Daily News posted an article reporting that four journalists and McLeod, a local citizen activist, were still waiting for the state to release Palin's emails in response to requests that they had filed two years earlier. (I am one of those journalists.) The Anchorage Daily News noted that the governor's office had recently asked for and obtained from the state attorney general the 14th delay in processing the request, and it highlighted McLeod's role in the request. The paper reported:
McLeod has accused the administrations of Palin and her former lieutenant governor and now successor, Sean Parnell, of abuse of power "with these delay tactics."
"Who does Sean Parnell protect and defend by keeping these official e-mail documents secret?" McLeod wrote to Sullivan, objecting to the proposed 14th delay. "Who does he serve? Ex-governor Sarah Palin, or the people of Alaska?"
Two days later, an anonymous person posted a death threat targeting McLeod in the "Rants & Raves" section of the Anchorage Craigslist. The posting, which echoed an email sent to the Anchorage Daily News, read in full:
I find it very offensive that Andre Mclead [sic] is asking the state for every e-mail written or received in ANY account maintained by Palin and her husband. Where does this bitch get off thinking the public should shell out for her revenge for the Palin family. I've heard enough from this, and I would like to use stronger words to express my feeling for Andre. Well…I think Andre has used up to [sic] much oxygen. So I have my scope cross hair on her head! She better watch out, the request may have been her last!
I know you won't publish this. ADN relish in bashing the Palin's too!
Let's clean up the political garbage.
On January 10, McLeod learned about the Cragislist post and contacted the Anchorage police. According to a police report obtained by Mother Jones, a sergeant named Michael Couturier, who is assigned to the cyber crimes beat, contacted Craigslist and asked the service to take down the posting and for information on the person who had posted the threat. The threat was subsequently removed, and the police report notes that the suspect used an AOL email address associated with an Anchorage woman. (The report names the woman, but Mother Jones is not identifying her at this point.)
