More Money, More Problems: Alaska May Have Funded Sarah Palin’s Children’s Air Travel And Accommodation

After recent speculation that the RNC has spent something around $150,000 on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe, hair and makeup comes news that she has charged the state of Alaska for her children’s travel expenses and later changed reports to say the money went to expenses related to “official business:”

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters’ 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor’s children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.

As governor, Palin justified having the state pay for the travel of her daughters — Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7 — by noting on travel forms that the girls had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor’s schedule.

Organizers at these events were said to be surprised that the Governor had brought along some or all have her troll-beasts, or were specifically asked if she could bring them. This is like asking if you can bring your children to Noche Buena dinner. No, no one wants your “gifted” child you eats bellybutton lint and burst into spontaneous Britney Spears dance moves to attend dinner. But we’re too ashamed to tell you so. Tio. Anyway. Some people are also concerned that Palin changed documents after the fact in order to smooth these expenses over:

On Aug. 6, three weeks before Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain chose Palin his running mate, and after Alaska reporters asked for the records, Palin ordered changes to previously filed expense reports for her daughters’ travel.

In the amended reports, Palin added phrases such as “First Family attending” and “First Family invited” to explain the girls’ attendance.

FIRST familee B!TCHES!!!1!!!:

When Palin released her family’s tax records as part of her vice presidential campaign, some tax experts questioned why she did not report the children’s state travel reimbursements as income.

The Palins released a review by a Washington attorney who said state law allows the children’s travel expenses to be reimbursed and not taxed when they conduct official state business.

Some event organizers have also been surprised that, after requesting if one daughter could attend an event, Palin has shown up with all three. Poor Track and Trig. They’re left eating week-old Hot Pockets in the snow.

What do you think? Is it fair for a parent in politics write up their children as an “official business expense?” Office Depot was curiously out of Pregnant Teen Daughters (Brunette) last time we checked.

AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids’ travel [AP]