Thomas Van Flein: Sue me

Thomas Van Flein, an attorney for Alaska's resigned governor Sarah Palin, has attempted legal intimidation against bloggers and major newspapers:

To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation. This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.

As far as I can determine, Van Flein's charge that Moore has reported the existence of a federal investigation as fact, or even that she has used the exact words "under federal investigation" (which he puts in quotes) in connection with Palin, is a pure fabrication. Moore has stated that rumors are flying; a competent lawyer should know the difference between that and an assertion of fact. I've made multiple web searches without finding anything to substantiate Van Flein's assertion about Moore.

It looks to me as if Van Flein is engaging in fabrication and legal intimidation, and that Moore might have grounds for a lawsuit against him.

In the meantime, Shyster Van Flein, please add me to your growing list of people to sue. I'll provide contact information if you want it.