We know her as a reality TV star, author, Bristol's mom, GOP darling and 'SNL' comedy muse. But for years, Frank Bailey knew Sarah Palin simply as: the boss.
Once Palin's trusted Chief of Staff, Bailey is breaking ranks and planning a new tell-all memoir-- according to a new AP report out of Juneau, Alaska -- based on his "thousands" of personal e-mails from his tenure working for the former Alaska governor, who was was inaugurated to the state's highest office in 2006 and abruptly resigned from the job in 2009.
A draft of the book, tentatively titled 'Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years,' has leaked to reporters, with excerpts circulating the Internet. Meanwhile, Bailey's team deny involvement in the leak.
The manuscript allegedly states that Palin, before resigning as governor, wrote to Bailey and another aide, "I hate this damn job."
Bailey rose from campaign volunteer to top administration official, and was a key figure during the 'Troopergate' scandal that captivated voters during Palin's failed run for vice president on John McCain's 2008 ticket. Bailey allegedly made the phone call trying to get a man fired -- a man who had been though a nasty divorce with Palin's sister; Bailey later became the target of an ethics investigation.
This is not the first time Bailey has taken a crack at telling his story. In 2009, he tried writing a Palin tell-all titled 'Renegade: Palin's Hatchet Man,' but the project fizzled.
"Since leaving the Governor's office," Bailey's book agent now says, via email, "Frank has been forced to reconsider his actions on Palin's behalf, in terms of his deep Christian faith and his allegiance to her as the standard-bearer for the conservative causes he still champions."
Regarding any leaked material, co-writer Ken Morris says unauthorized drafts are preliminary and subject to copyright protections, but confirms that he and Bailey (along with blogger Jeanne Devon, a frequent Palin critic) did "tons of research" for the tell-all tome.
Morris told EW.com this weekend, "This is a fact-finding, truth-reporting endeavor....The source data for this book comes from Frank Bailey's experience and his own email accounts."
Devon, also a co-author on the book, calls Bailey "one of the few true Palin 'insiders.'" Known as AKMuckraker in the blogosphere, Devon says the writing team is "shocked and horrified" by the leak of their draft, "but the toothpaste is out of the tube, as they say."
In promoting the manuscript, an agent for Bailey describes his insights as "more necessary than ever, as the public will seek to learn as much as possible about the woman who seems to have her sights set on the national stage."
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