Palin says clothing not worth $150K

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin denies reports that she accepted $150,000 worth of designer clothes from the Republican National Committee.

"That whole thing is just bad," she told the Chicago Tribune in an interview published Friday.

Financial disclosure records indicate the RNC spent $49,000 on clothes and accessories for the Alaska governor at Saks Fifth Avenue stores in St. Louis and New York, and $75,000 at a Neiman Marcus store in Minneapolis, media outlets reported.

"It's kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported," said Palin, explaining the clothes aren't worth $150,000 and were bought for the Republican National Convention. She said the fancy duds will be given back, auctioned off or donated to charity.

The furor about the clothing indicates a bias against female candidates, Palin told the Tribune.

"I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said. "Do you remember the conversations that took place about her, say superficial things that they don't talk about with men, her wardrobe and her hairstyles, all of that? That's a bit of that double standard."