The Rogue Responds: Palin Attorney Threatens Lawsuit Over Biography

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Scott Audette / Reuters

Sarah Palin’s family lawyer has told Crown Publishing Group (CPG) she may sue the company for “knowingly publishing false statements” in a controversial book recently published on the ex-Alaska Governor.

In a letter to the publisher – obtained by ABC News – attorney John Tiemessen warns that Palin is considering launching the lawsuits over damning allegations in the much-publicized biography that she used cocaine and had extra-marital affairs. Tiemessen instructs the company to keep any emails or records related to the book, called The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin, and its veteran author, Joe McGinniss.

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The missive mentions an email obtained by Palin’s legal team from McGinniss to a liberal Alaskan blogger in which he admits a lack of documents to substantiate the lurid claims surrounding the self-proclaimed “mama grizzly.” The biography was widely panned by critics for almost exclusively using unnamed sources.

“Legal review of my manuscript is underway and here’s my problem: no one has ever offered documentation of any of the lurid stories about the Palins,” McGinniss wrote in the email published by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.

(MORE: The Undefeated: Her Holiness Sarah Palin)

But Random House – CPG’s parent company – are standing by the tell-all. Stuart Applebaum, the spokesman for the publishers, wrote to ABC News: “We are confident that the reporting in The Rogue is solid, reliable, and well-substantiated. We stand by our publication and our author.” (via Slate)

Joe Jackson is a contributor at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @joejackson. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.