SarahPac only took in $388,000 in the first quarter

From Politico

Sarah Palin’s political action committee raised $388,000 in the first three months of the year, but it spent $418,000 and didn’t give a dime to any candidates — which is the purported purpose of the PAC.

Instead, Sarah PAC spent $255,000 on fundraising and a small team of political consultants that Palin has continued to support even as she receded from the political spotlight during the heat of the GOP presidential primary. It also appears to have spent $19,000 on a video rebutting the HBO film “Game Change.”



The PAC also paid $4,500 to reserve space at Channelside Bay Mall in Tampa, Fla., near the site of the Republican National Convention, suggesting that Palin plans to have an independent presence at the event separate from the formal proceedings.

Sarah PAC, a so-called leadership PAC set up to help the former Alaska governor maintain a political presence, finished March with $983,000 in the bank, according to a report filed Wednesday afternoon with the Federal Election Commission.

Sarah PAC’s website says it is “dedicated to building America’s future by supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.”

And its treasurer, Tim Crawford, said it will start doling out cash to candidates once the election season heats up.

“Sarah PAC has given to many candidates in the past and will continue to do so,” he said.

The PAC paid a little more than $19,000 to a Franklin, Tenn.-based company called Passcode Creative that has produced hagiographic Palin videos. The payments appear to coincide with the production and release of a video rebutting HBO’s “Game Change,” which Palin has alleged is based on a “false narrative.”

The two-and-a-half-minute video, which was made to look like a movie trailer, was titled “Game Change We Can Believe In.”

The video splices together a series of laudatory statements about Palin from McCain strategists Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace, who are portrayed in “Game Change” as expressing doubts about Palin.

In the first three months of the year, the PAC also paid $27,500 each to Palin chief of staff Michael Glassner and issue consultant Peter Schweizer, $22,000 to speechwriter and Palin Internet defender Rebecca Mansour, $41,500 to Crawford, $21,000 to researcher Andrew Davis and $12,500 to conservative coalitions liaison Pam Pryor.

It spent $6,000 on hotels, including $1,000 at Disneyland Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.