Palin gets $1.25M for book

WASHINGTON — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was paid at least $1.25 million for her upcoming memoir, one of the top pre-orders on online best-seller lists even before its Nov. 17 release.

Palin reported she had received what she described as a "retainer" as part of a required financial disclosure to the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The disclosures, which cover Jan. 1 to her resignation date of July 26, were released Tuesday.

No other details are offered on the deal, but a retainer would be only an upfront piece of the total that the one-time Republican vice-presidential candidate would receive for the book, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

The Washington, D.C., lawyer who brokered Palin's deal, Robert Barnett, said he had no comment.

The disclosures also show Palin took out an unspecified home loan from Wells Fargo for "legal fees to fight false allegations while governor." Her spokeswoman, Megan Stapleton, didn't respond to questions about the loan. Associates have said Palin incurred more than $600,000 in legal fees as a result of last year's "Troopergate" investigation by the state Legislature, as well as various ethics complaints.

Palin also listed gifts, including $4,250 in New York Yankees tickets from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani for her husband, daughter Willow and herself.