Letter to Homeland Security Regarding Death Threats to Shailey Tripp

The following letter is being sent today to Homeland Security and to the people listed below by Federal Express, overnight delivery.

 

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Freedom of Information Act & Privacy Act Branch

Communications Center

245 Murray Lane, S.W. Build.T-5

Washington, D. C. 20223

 

File Number: 20121153-20121174

Re: Death Threats to Shailey Tripp

 

Attention: Brady J. Mills,

Special Agent in Charge

 

Dear Mr. Mills,

 

I write to you today with a sense of urgency! It was May of 2012 that I put Shailey Tripp in touch with Merek Schaefer, who identified himself as an Inspector with the US Secret Service. Ms. Tripp gave him two verbal statements and one written statement confirming that Todd Palin, acting as her pimp, introduced her to David Chaney. Ms. Tripp confirmed in that statement that David Chaney did in fact visit her place of business and receive sexual services for money. I assumed that Mr. Schaefer or another Inspector would question David Chaney regarding these allegations and notify the appropriate people before the Senate Subcommittee hearing in which Mark Sullivan testified that there was no “culture of corruption” within the Secret Service, and that the Colombia incident was an isolated event. I personally notified every Senator on the Homeland Security Committee of these allegations, in hopes that there would be further inquiry.

 

Sadly, there was not a single question asked during that hearing regarding the allegations of Ms. Tripp. I assumed that David Chaney had denied the allegations of Ms. Tripp, or why wouldn’t more questions have been asked regarding a “culture of corruption” inside the United States? I assumed Mark Sulllivan, the Director of the Secret Service before his resignation, was telling the truth when he said the Colombia matter was an isolated event, and that he must have been satisfied that Ms. Tripp was not telling the truth in her statement asserting that Todd Palin was her pimp.

 

After that Senate Subcommittee Hearing I filed the above referenced FOIA request, seeking a copy of the statement of David Chaney. That request was filed in JUNE of 2012, eleven months ago. I still do not have the requested documents. Because the Department of Homeland Security was so resistant to producing the documents, I began to believe that David Chaney had confirmed the statements of Shailey Tripp. I have personally asked Todd Palin and David Chaney for either confirmation of Ms. Tripp’s story or a denial of it, and have received no response from either.

 

On February 19, 2013 you sent a letter to me that stated:

“This is to notify you of our intention to proceed with the processing of your requests. A search for files responsive to your requests is being conducted. The appropriate components of the USSS are being queried for responsive documents. If any responsive records are located, they will be reviewed for determination of releasability.”

 

Six days later, on February 25, 2013, your office sent a second letter stating:

“With regard to your request to have access to your file, we regret to inform you that we cannot comply.

…

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552 (B)(7) (A), your file is being exempted since disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”

 

Since receipt of that letter I have placed multiple calls to every agency of government that could possibly be of help and I have been unable to determine what agency of government is involved in an “investigation” or “enforcement proceedings”, when such an investigation was undertaken, or when it could reasonably be expected to be concluded. Until today I have not publicized anything about the investigation or the “enforcement proceedings,” hoping not to alert the parties involved that they were being investigated. However circumstances have changed and it is now URGENT that the statement of David Chaney be produced.

 

Shailey Tripp is no longer living in Alaska, as a result of concern for her safety, and that of her children. Because Sarah Palin claimed that the story told by Ms. Tripp was “lies” it is not surprising that some Palin supporters might be outraged by the accusations of Ms. Tripp. When I personally received death threats on my blog when I reported on this story, I didn’t take those threats seriously. However things have changed. I am now concerned for my safety, and especially concerned for that of Ms. Tripp.

 

I spoke with Ms. Tripp last night and she reported to me that she has received death threats, that her apartment building has been burned, that her tire has been slashed, and that her daughter has had her bike stolen. She has also received a call from Alaska, on her private cell phone, from someone in Alaska who would not identify themselves and Ms. Tripp felt threatened by that caller. The fire in her building is of particular concern to me as there have been three cases of arson in Alaska, none of which have been solved, all of which could have benefitted Sarah and/or Todd Palin, and one of which involved someone dying. Those three fires included (1) the burning of Sarah Palin’s church,(which included the burning of the records room that might have had incriminating records re Palin or her family)  (2)the burning of the home of Dar Miller, and her death as a result of that fire, (Ms. Miller has previously worked as a neo-natal nurse at the Mat Su Hospital so she is a person who might have had knowledge about the birth of Trig Palin) and (3) the burning of the Matanuska Maid Creamery (this dairy was the subject of multiple allegations that Sarah Palin had funneled money to friends of hers after the dairy was no longer a viable business) . The fire in Shailey Tripp’s building began in an apartment in her building and started in an apartment that was not occupied by people at the time.

 

There are over 100 unsolved murders in Alaska.That is a frightening thought! Shailey Tripp is no longer in Alaska, but she is still at risk. If Homeland Security has proof that confirms Shailey Tripp’s allegations that Todd Palin was her pimp, that evidence needs to become public knowledge NOW. If David Chaney has confirmed that Todd Palin introduced him to his prostitute, then that would be independent confirmation that Shailey Tripp is telling the truth. Once that information is made public, there would be little to gain by threatening or causing harm to Ms. Tripp. If the “investigation” results in charges being filed, the statement of David Chaney would be discoverable. If Mr. Chaney provided additional information in his statement beyond the confirmation of his introduction to Ms. Tripp by Todd Palin, and if that is the subject of investigation, that information could be redacted. Any information that Todd Palin introduced Shailey Tripp to David Chaney is already a matter of public record and would not change the investigation.

 

It is vital for the safety and security of Shailey Tripp that the statement of David Chaney be produced immediately. If you are still unwilling to produce that statement, I implore you to offer to put Ms. Tripp into a witness protection program immediately.

 

Please give this your most immediate and urgent attention.

 

Sincerely,

Malia Litman

 

cc. President Obama

Julia Pierson, Head of the Secret Service

Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security