McCain Adviser, Rick Davis, told the Washington Post at the end of August, 2008, that Palin had been fully vetted, including, he claimed, a background check by the FBI. Days later it was revealed, not by Davis or McCain, but by the FBI, that Davis had in fact, lied.

Palin Made an Impression From the Start

Fellow Maverick Survived McCain’s Thorough Vetting Process, Aides Say

By Dan Balz and Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 31, 2008

Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager and the person at the point of the vice presidential process, said there was no abrupt change of course in the final hours. Nor, he said, was Palin selected without having gone through the full vetting process that was done for other finalists. That process included reviews of financial and other personal data, an FBI background check and considerable discussion among the handful of McCain advisers involved in the deliberations.

"Nobody was vetted less or more than anyone in the final stages, and John had access to all that information and made the decision," Davis said. "It’s really not much more complicated than that."


No Surprises From Palin, McCain Team Says

Daughter’s Pregnancy and Trooper Controversy Were Revealed Before Pick, According to Campaign Aide

Until last week, Palin was relatively unknown outside Alaska, and as facts have dribbled out about her, the McCain campaign has insisted that its examination of her background was thorough and that nothing that has come out about her was a surprise. "John had access to all that information and made the decision," campaign manager Rick Davis said last week in describing the vetting process.

The process included what aides described as a full search of public documents and videos of her speeches. That included a review of Alaska newspapers, but not Palin’s local newspaper because aides worried that going through back issues would indicate that she was under consideration to be McCain’s running mate.

Among the things that turned up during the vetting process: her husband’s arrest for driving under the influence more than two decades ago; the ticket that she once received for fishing without a license; her daughter’s pregnancy; and a report that she had supported Pat Buchanan for president in 1996, which she denied at the time.
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Her name, along with others, was submitted to the FBI under a routine inquiry into whether she was the subject of a criminal investigation.

IT WAS FBI, NOT MCCAIN, OR PALIN, OR DAVIS, THAT FINALLY CORRECTED THE STORY

Palin And The FBI Background Check — Updated

01 Sep 2008 01:52 pm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not participate in the vetting of Gov. Sarah Palin and did not conduct a background check as part of the process, an FBI spokesman said today.

The Washington Post reported Sunday, citing an interview with campaign manager Rick Davis, that the vetting process "included reviews of financial and other personal data, an FBI background check and considerable discussion among the handful of McCain advisers nvolved in the deliberations.

"In general, we do not do vetting for political campaigns except as it might regard investigations needed for security clearances," said John Miller, the chief FBI spokesperson.

The FBI did not participate in a vet, nor did it run a background check of Gov. Palin as part of the process.

Palin might already have a clearance that relates to her duties as governor. But the FBI can’t speak to that, and in any event, those investigations wouldn’t be accessible to the McCain campaign anyway.

SO WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE PRESENT DAY PALIN IMPLOSION?

I think what we are seeing is evidence that the Bush Justice Department had Palin dead-to-rights on this very investigation way back during the vetting process when issues related to the construction of their home first came to light, and the administration engaged in obstruction of justice to have this very matter shelved. Once Holder had time to get up to speed, it became obvious that this obstruction of justice had occurred. So what else triggered Holder’s decision to move on this matter now? A new revelation that is coming to light re: Todd Palin, to which the earlier matter is connected perhaps?

I assume Todd lied during his vetting interview about the foregoing – and about his connections to the secessionist group in Alaska of which he was a member for 7 years. I further suspect that the FBI’s recent investigation into right wing radical groups in the US revealed a membership list including Todd’s name, possibly tied to the illegal movement of weapons for the purpose of forming a militia in Alaska – whose goals could be defined as treasonous, but at the least, fall under the umbrella of the USA Patriot Act where the definition of “Domestic Terrorist” comes into play.

I think it’s a combination of factors linking Todd to misdeeds that are Federal offenses, and you can bet your ass that there is also evidence that the GILF made efforts to protect him that also amounted to obstruction of justice – and, after all, she does have the benefit of living in the lakefront house that was in effect, built with stolen materials. There is a direct quid pro quo linking to Governor to Todd, as once she became Governor, she awarded a fat contract to the firm that provided the materials.

The bigger story is the obvious obstruction of justice by the Bush administration that led to the short circuiting of the FBI vetting process to the extent that the Office Of The Vice President would be subject to blackmail throughout the entire McCain/Palin Administration, had there been one.

Controlling government actions via blackmail…THAT is the story – and a very common one at that. What are the names of the individuals or entities who sought to control to government via blackmail?

Editor’s Note: Oxdown is an open community forum and we encourage the free exchange of ideas and opinions.  We note that this diary reports several items as facts rather than opinion or rumor,  and Governor Palin’s attorneys have disputed these facts.