Palin Per Diem, Travel Expenses Scrutinized
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin used a government "per diem" allowance to charge the state for more than 300 nights spent at home (graphic) and spent another $43,490 on travel for her children and husband, The Post's James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick report today.
Many of the trips (graphic) were to ferry her children and husband from their hometown of Wasilla to the state capital of Juneau, which is 600 miles away, The Post reported.
Palin's spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, said the expenses are not unusual, noting that each of Palin's five children could have claimed a per diem expense and that Palin often did not seek out reimbursement for meals.
Palin has spent far less on travel than her predecessor, former Gov. Frank Murkowski, who spent $463,000 on travel in 2006. Palin spent $93,000 last year, records show.
The GOP vice-presidential candidate has used her relatively cheap travel expenses (and her decision to try selling Murkowski's $2.7 million corporate jet on eBay) as a testament to her frugality. The New York Times noted, however, that the jet didn't sell on eBay and was later sold to an Alaskan businessman at a $600,000 loss.