Palin's "donated" Clothes Stashed In Trash Bags At Rnc

Despite the Republican National Committee's promise to donate Sarah Palin's $180,000 campaign wardrobe to charity, word has it the Alaska governor's clothes remain stuffed in trash bags at RNC headquarters, NewMajority has learned.

While Palin followed through on her promise to return her controversial wardrobe after the election, it seems the RNC has not followed through on its promise to give most of the clothes away.

During the 2008 campaign, GOP vice presidential candidate Palin was pummeled with accusations that she had overspent on clothes for herself, and even for her family -- down to baby Trig. Palin asserted at the time that the clothes belonged to the RNC. They were not her property and would be returned at the end of the campaign. A campaign spokeswoman backed up those claims, saying, "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." It was also understood that those that had not been worn would be returned to the appropriate retailer; those that had been worn would be used for some other purpose, perhaps auctioned off for charity or to retire campaign debt.

The expense was shared between the RNC and the McCain-Palin campaign through a joint account, but ultimately are the RNC's problem to deal with. The final price tag for the expensive duds from the likes of Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as a number of other retailers, totaled $180,000, according to Federal Election Commission records.

But for reasons that remain mysterious, the clothes remain stashed at the RNC's Washington, D.C., headquarters. A source close to the issue told NewMajority that the clothes are "in the process" of being donated, and an RNC spokesman corroborated, saying the clothes have indeed been returned from Palin, "inventoried and will be appropriately dispersed to various charities." Attempts for an explanation of when and where the clothes will be donated went unanswered, and the governor's Alaska office does not comment on campaign issues.

The fact that the clothes have not been donated or publicly accounted for, however, has angered some big donors - who want to know exactly how their money was spent, and who are already enraged by the extravagant wardrobe figure. They say it's time for the RNC to air its dirty laundry, if you will.

"Has the party not learned their lesson?" a source who raises significant funds for the party said in response to the news of the undonated clothing. "First they make a colossal mistake of judgment by even agreeing to squander the party's resources on these clothes and then compound the error by failing to properly dispose of them. If they think donors are going to sit by and simply accept this they are mistaken."

Supporters of the Alaska governor should worry that the RNC's stalling lends credence to negative speculation. Did the RNC and campaign spend more than the quoted $180,000 figure? How much was spent on other members of Palin's family? Perhaps the RNC hopes that stashing the clothes will make the story go away. That is unrealistic; if the governor returns to the national stage, so will any unanswered questions.