Palin bashes media for reporting claim SC gov candidate had affair with blogger

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is decrying claims by a blogger that he had an inappropriate physical relationship with South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley," Jim Roberts reports for the Associated Press. "In a posting on her Facebook page Monday, Palin said it was 'quite convenient' that blogger Will Folks made the allegation and then said he would not talk any further about it."

Palin adds, "For traditional media to rely on an accusation via some blog entry is almost laughable, but I know the seriousness of it because that’s exactly what my family and colleagues have had to put up with, every single day, for the past couple of years."

Palin's Facebook entry states,

Well, whaddya know? South Carolina’s conservative candidate, Nikki Haley, recently zipped to the front of the line in her state’s race for governor; and lo and behold, now accusations of an affair surface.

Nikki categorically denies the accusation that was spewed out there by a political blogger who has the gall to throw the stone, but then quickly duck and hide and proclaim he would not comment further on the issue. Quite convenient.

When Nikki and I held her endorsement rally on the steps of the beautiful and historic South Carolina state house a few weeks ago, I warned her and her family that she would be targeted because she’s a threat to a corrupt political machine, and she would be put through some hell. That, unfortunately, is the nature of the beast in politics today – especially for conservative “underdog” candidates who surge in the polls and threaten to shake things up so government can be put back on the side of the people.

South Carolina: don’t let some blogger make any accusation against your Nikki if the guy doesn’t even have the guts or the integrity to speak further on such a significant claim. And don’t believe anything a liberal rag claims or suggests unless the reporter involved has the integrity and the facts to report to you so you can make up your own mind. For traditional media to rely on an accusation via some blog entry is almost laughable, but I know the seriousness of it because that’s exactly what my family and colleagues have had to put up with, every single day, for the past couple of years.

As I said to Nikki this morning, “Hang in there. I’ve been there. Any lies told about you will strengthen your resolve to clean up political and media corruption. You and your supporters will grow stronger through things like this.”

Reaching her from Wasilla, I then joked with Nikki that I was calling her from one of the many locations the lamestream media claims I moved to. (Let’s see, I think the last I heard I was living in the Hamptons, or was it Montana? No, supposedly L.A. is where they claim I moved when I “left Todd” in their idiotic reports.)

South Carolina friends, don’t let ‘em just make things up.

An infidelity report at a tabloid dogged Palin during the 2008 campaign, CBS News noted at the time.

John McCain's campaign threatened legal action against the National Enquirer today for running a story about McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, allegedly having an affair with her husband's business partner.

"The smearing of the Palin family must end. The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Gov. Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie," said McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt.

....

"Legal action will be considered with regard to this disgraceful smear."

The National Enquirer was nominated for a Pulitzer for its reporting on former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' affair and baby born out of wedlock.

The AP notes,

Folks said in a blog that he went public about the purported affair with Haley because political adversaries were leaking proof of it to media outlets to impugn his reputation and destroy her.

"The truth in this case is what it is," he wrote. "Several years ago, prior to my marriage, I had an inappropriate physical relationship with Nikki."

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press prior to his blog post, Folks would not discuss details of the relationship.

"I'm not going to paint pictures," said Folks, who gave the interview on the condition his statements would not be published before he went public.

A posting at the CBS News "Political Hotsheet" blog adds,

Haley's campaign told WIS-TV that it "emphatically" denies Folks' claim.

"I have been 100% faithful to my husband throughout our 13 years of marriage," Haley said in a statement. "This claim against me is categorically and totally false."

Haley's candidacy has been on the rise thanks in large part to an endorsement from Sarah Palin, who campaigned for her earlier this month. Also campaigning for Haley was Jenny Sanford, who divorced current governor Mark Sanford after revelations of his infidelity.

As Ben Smith notes, Haley, speaking of Sanford, has vowed that she is "not going to screw up like he did."