Lawsuit seeks access to Todd Palin e-mails

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A lawsuit seeks to obtain a bevy of e-mails from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her aides that were copied by the governor's husband, a lawyer said.

The governor's office has refused to release the communications, citing such reasons as executive privilege, the Anchorage Daily News reported Thursday.

Andree McLeod, a former state worker, has been seeking telephone and e-mail records since June. Her lawsuit says Todd Palin should not be privy to the governor's internal communications if they are off limits to the general public.

McLeod's lawyer, Donald Mitchell, said if Todd Palin is entitled to see the internal e-mails, then "any other Alaskan, starting with Andree McLeod, is entitled to see them," the newspaper reported.

The governor's chief of staff, Michael Nizich, wrote in a November letter that Todd Palin is an adviser to his wife.

"There is nothing inappropriate about the spouse of a chief executive playing such a role. The governor is absolutely entitled to involve him in policy matters as an adviser as she sees fit," Nizich wrote.