The McCain-Palin campaign today launched a spirited defense when contaced by NBC News. They say the personnel files were not protected. A campaign source says Wooten himself had previously signed a waiver allowing a divorce lawyer to obtain his personnel records. The campaign then sent a copy of that waiver to NBC News, which reads, "I hereby waive any privilege I may have to said information to said attorneys."
The issue concerns disclosures about Wooten's records made by a Palin aide -- Frank Bailey -- in a February 2008 phone conversation. The police officers union complaint claims the transcript of that conversation clearly indicates there was improper access to Wooten's records.
The McCain-Palin campaign, in a response to NBC News, provided a family twist to the story, saying the governor's husband, Todd Palin, was the source of that information to Bailey. They say the information came from divorce proceedings, and that Gov. Palin never improperly accessed any records.
"When you're a real reformer like Sarah Palin, who isn't afraid to take on entrenched political interests," Taylor Griffiths, a spokesman for McCain, said, "scurrilous attacks and empty allegations come with the territory."
