From David Frum’s New Majority website comes a report that the expensive clothes purchased for Sarah Palin’s vice presidential run are being kept in trash bags, rather than being donated as promised.
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…
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.
Actually, as Allahpundit points out, it would be more efficient to auction-off the clothing and then donate the proceeds. We’re talking about $180,000 in clothes. The cash for that sale would probably do a charity more good than simply donating the clothing.


by Stephan Tawney on January 23, 2009