Palin E-Mail Controversy Involves Alaska Solution Provider

The e-mail troubles of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin keep piling up. A few weeks ago, one of the Alaska governor's private Web mail accounts was hacked, and on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that Palin maintained a separate private e-mail network for 10 to 15 of her closest political confidants.

Palin's private e-mail communications are being scrutinized in an investigation into her possible role in pressuring a state official to fire a state trooper who was the ex-husband of the governor's sister, a probe that is popularly known as "Troopergate." Messages from Palin's compromised Yahoo e-mail account that have been reposted on the Internet indicate that the governor may have conducted government business outside of Alaska's secure official e-mail system through Web mail.

The private e-mail network was built by a Wasilla, Alaska-based solution provider, ITS Alaska, according to the Post. ChannelWeb contacted ITS Alaska Thursday morning, but Web Development staffer Brian Stanfill said ITS Alaska and owner Quentin Algood are not commenting on the Post report.

Algood, characterized by the Post as "a Palin supporter," reportedly told the newspaper that a private e-mail system was built up from an older account used by Palin and her advisors during her campaign for the Alaska governorship. Palin was elected governor of Alaska in November 2006.

Access to the private account was limited to "a group of people, her closest confidants and co-workers and advisers and the person she sleeps with," Algood reportedly told the Post.

Algood established PalinForGovernor.com, an online portal for Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, free of charge, according to the Post. The private e-mail network was "run through PalinForGovernor.com," the Post reported, and managed by Palin aide Frank Bailey, according to Algood.

Bailey, who was placed on leave by Palin in August over his alleged involvement in Troopergate, denies the existence of the private e-mail circle, according to the Post.

Palin's private e-mail network was set up sometime in the spring of this year, well into Palin's governorship, according to ITS Alaska employee Ryan Gattis, who told the Post he had worked with Bailey to build it.

Gattis also said Bailey "inquired about options for encrypting e-mails but was discouraged by the $1,000 price tag of a commercial encryption product the technician recommended," according to the Post.