Palin Vetting Process

The revelation of 17-year-old Bristol Palin's pregnancy on the first day of the 2008 Republican National Convention raised questions regarding how thoroughly John McCain vetted Palin before announcing her as his Republican running mate for the 2008 presidential election.

Less than a week after the VP announcement on August 29, 2008, it has also been disclosed that Sarah Palin is under an Alaskan legislative ethics investigation, that in the 1990s she was a member for two years of the Alaska Independence Party and that her husband, Todd Palin was arrested on a drunk-driving charge 22 years ago.

McCain's representatives claim the campaign was aware of the ethics investigation and had looked into it but it is unclear whether they knew about her unwed daughter's pregnancy.NY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)

• A review of all financial and legal recordsNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)
• A criminal background checkNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)
• A standard form with more than 70 questionsNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)
• Interview(s) with Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., a Washington lawyer in charge of the vice-presidential vetting process for McCainNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)
• Additional interviews with lawyers who worked for CulvahouseNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)

• "They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before. This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe (Senator Joseph Lieberman) or (Tom) Ridge."—a Republican campaign insiderNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)

• "I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called. I called 30 to 40 people, political leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Not one of them had heard. Alaska is a very small community, we know people all over, but I haven’t found anybody who was asked anything.”—Representative Gail Phillips (Republican) and former speaker of the State HouseNY Times: Questions on Vetting Process (September 1, 2008)