Palin to donate contributions

JUNEAU, Alaska – GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said late Thursday she would donate to charity more than $1,000 in campaign contributions from two Alaska politicians who were implicated in a sprawling public corruption scandal. She’s also handing back another $1,000 from the wife of one of the men.

The announcement from a spokesman for the campaign of Republican nominee John McCain came hours after the Associated Press reported Palin had accepted the checks during her successful 2006 run for Alaska governor in the weeks after the FBI raided the offices of the lawmakers.

The ensuing scandal became a rallying point for candidate Palin, who was swept into office after promising voters she would rid Alaska’s capital of dirty politics.

“Of course, Governor Palin has made a career of holding herself to the highest standards of ethics. As soon as the governor learned of the donations today, she immediately decided to donate them to charity,” said the spokesman, Taylor Griffin.

Griffin said he did not know which charity would receive the money from Palin’s campaign fund, but expected the return to take place as early as today.