Levi Johnston: Sarah Palin Wanted to Adopt Her Grandchild

Sept. 3, 2009— -- The October 2009 issue of Vanity Fair magazine features an explosive tell-all by Levi Johnston, the almost son-in-law of former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin.

Johnston, 19, who is the father of Bristol Palin's son, Tripp, said Palin asked him to keep Bristol's pregnancy "a secret.

"She told me that once Bristol had the baby she and Todd would adopt him. That way, she said, Bristol and I didn't have to worry about anything," Johnston told the magazine in an exclusive interview.

At the time the Palins publicly supported Johnston and Bristol's decision to marry and raise the baby. But now, Johnston, who was paid by Vanity Fair for his work, said he believed that Palin did not want people to know that her then 17-year-old daughter was pregnant.

"Sarah kept mentioning this plan. She was nagging -- she wouldn't give up. She would say, "So, are you gonna let me adopt him?" We both kept telling her we were definitely not going to let her adopt the baby," Johnston said.

Bristol and Johnston called off their engagement soon after Tripp was born, and Johnston's relationship with the Palin family has been strained ever since.

Palin's office did not release a statement, but people close to the former governor pointed out that Johnston has made contradictory statements in the past.

"They always treated me like a son. I mean they were, they were real nice to me. And I thought of her as like my second mother," Johnston told CNN's Larry King in April 2009. "You know, Todd was always, you know, a great guy and helped me out with a lot of things. So I mean they welcomed me."

But in Vanity Fair, Johnston said when the cameras weren't around, Palin paid "no attention to her kids."

"The kids do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry and get ready for school. … Even before the campaign, Bristol was the mom of the house," Johnston said.