By Nitya

Sep 24, 2008 9:16am

Dem Lawmaker’s Son’s Pad Searched in Palin Hacking Investigation

His name is David Kernell, he’s the son of Tennessee State Rep. Mike Kernell, and the FBI searched his residence over the weekend in its investigation into who hacked the Yahoo e-mail account of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Associated Press reports.

"After the break-in, a person claiming responsibility published a detailed chronology of the hacking on the Web site where the break-in was first revealed. That person identified his e-mail address as one that has been linked publicly to David Kernell. Experts said the hacker apparently left an easy trail for investigators."

- jpt

User Comments

Isn’t this just a citizen enacting his or her version of the Patriot Act?
Ok just kidding.

Posted by: Ben Straub | September 24, 2008, 9:25 am 9:25 am

Ohio (20) Obama 45.1 McCain 46.7 McCain +1.6
Pennsylvania (21) Obama 47.0 McCain 44.5 Obama +2.5
Florida (27) Obama 46.0 McCain 48.0 McCain +2.0
Virginia (13) Obama 46.0 McCain 47.3 McCain +1.3
Wisconsin (10) Obama 48.0 McCain 44.8 Obama +3.2
Colorado (9) Obama 48.4 McCain 44.4 Obama +4.0
Minnesota (10) Obama 48.0 McCain 45.2 Obama +2.8
Indiana (11) Obama 45.5 McCain 47.8 McCain +2.3
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Posted by: HP Boston | September 24, 2008, 9:26 am 9:26 am

Another one of Obama’s brainwashed minions doing his handywork. Thanks to Obama, this is the dirtiest campaign, ever. As a taxpayer and an American citizen, I want every ACORN voter registration verified and I want ACORN’s tax exempt status revoked.

Posted by: Casey | September 24, 2008, 9:29 am 9:29 am

Terrible to hack into another persons email account.
Reckless and irrisponsible to be doing official Government business on a YAYOO account.
Dispicable to be doing Official Government Business on a YAHOO account, in order to avoid any accountability.

Posted by: Truth Matters | September 24, 2008, 9:30 am 9:30 am

Darn kids. What do you bet Dad can barely turn on a computer? Lesson here is you do not us a PUBLIC email server for state business. How stupid can she be. Geeze.

Posted by: jennylynn | September 24, 2008, 9:30 am 9:30 am

Sarah palin believes that George Bush should have access to read anybodies email at will.
Why shouldn’t David Kernell have access to her email account?
Fair is Fair.

Posted by: Truth Matters | September 24, 2008, 9:32 am 9:32 am

Ben – No it was probably some bored college kid with nothing better to do. I canot believe that Sarah Palin was this stupid. You do not use a public email server for state business any idiot knows that. Then to have the first dude use his email address as his car tag. Geeze what complete idiots.

Posted by: jennylynn | September 24, 2008, 9:33 am 9:33 am

Is this an ABC exclusive? A week after the rest of us discovered who the hacker was? and the hacker who has ties to the Obama campaign found nothing anyway.

Posted by: geevill | September 24, 2008, 9:35 am 9:35 am

Amazingly enough, McCain/Palin outdraw Obama in Wisconsin rally by 4,000. How is that possible? How will Obama spin this?

Posted by: HP Boston | September 24, 2008, 9:41 am 9:41 am

Hey Jake no need to mention the kid is an Obama supporter! Wouldn’t want you to upset your master! Nothing like UT for Barack Obama people being stupid!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/SNkBetfc8yI/AAAAAAAAWCY/KCYnhFbIKEs/s1600-h/kernel+fb2.JPG

Posted by: Zaggs | September 24, 2008, 9:42 am 9:42 am

jennylynn | Sep 24, 2008 9:33:29 AM
OF COURSE BLAME THE VICTIM…………

Posted by: HP Boston | September 24, 2008, 9:43 am 9:43 am

HP:
Obama spoke on a Monday afternoon. McCain/Palin spoke on a Thursday evening. In a Republican town.
This story is over a week old, by the way.

Posted by: Danny | September 24, 2008, 9:46 am 9:46 am

This Email story reminds me of Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer’s son posting racist and homophobic messages and images on Facebook.
Of course if he did it, Kernell’s son would have done something seriously illegal in violating Palin’s privacy.
But in both cases the parents didn’t seem involved.

Posted by: Danny | September 24, 2008, 9:49 am 9:49 am

Thanks for waking up Mr. Tapper. Also, it is very brave of you to mention democrat in this post. CNN did not have the guts.

Posted by: sri | September 24, 2008, 9:50 am 9:50 am

“Pad”?

Posted by: TNeedle | September 24, 2008, 9:55 am 9:55 am

This was a stupid prank, but at least it exposed the fact that Palin was trying to use personal e-mail addresses for government business. How can Caribou Barbie keep us safe if she can’t even protect her own passwords?

Posted by: Howard NY | September 24, 2008, 9:58 am 9:58 am

Ok this is the 5th occasion that the dems were caught in a Watergate scandal so when are they going to start resigning!!
Why are we funding ACORN!! A Communist Organizing group!!
Why is not Barney Franks (D) under investigation for his part in the banking collapse
Why is not the 2 economic aids for Obama that made over 100 millions dollars from Frannie may and Mac under investigation!!
Why is not Chris Dodds (D) under investigation
What happened to Jefferson (D) the freezer man
Why is not Obama under scrutiny for yet to prove he is an American Citizen!!

Posted by: spock | September 24, 2008, 10:17 am 10:17 am

It is an illegal act punished by jailtime for stealing mail(email or snail mail). just because I can break into someone’s email it still does not make it right.Dems never obey laws….they just make up new ones to cover their mess.

Posted by: beau abrams | September 24, 2008, 10:19 am 10:19 am

Howard NY – learn a little bit please, that is why they are called hackers, they hack into systems, it has nothing to do with her password being given out!
Secondly what emails were detremental, even the hacker said nothing was bad, using her personal email for Government business even if she was so what, it saves tax payer money. What about the dems who use tax payer items for their own personal use, like Charlie Rangel to name one!! Pelosi to name 2

Posted by: spock | September 24, 2008, 10:20 am 10:20 am

I might have some sympathy for Palin if she would make herself available to reporters and questions. Instead she’s Stonewall Palin, hiding everything from everyone.
I don’t know exactly what she’s guilty of, but SHE SURE ACTS GUILTY.
The fact that McCain won’t let her talk is a tacit admission that SHE’S NOT READY FOR THE JOB, at even the most basic level.
I consider the hacker a true American Patriot.
McCAIN/PALIN:
SAME BUSH, DIFFERENT DAY.

Posted by: Ed from MA | September 24, 2008, 10:30 am 10:30 am

spock:, don’t forget Dodd, Reid, Boxer, Durbin and the list goes on..

Posted by: bombem | September 24, 2008, 10:30 am 10:30 am

“The survey includes additional interviews with randomly selected African Americans, for a total of 163 black respondents”
Of course ABC has obama up by 9. They skew the poll with an inflated number of blacks.

Posted by: geevill | September 24, 2008, 10:35 am 10:35 am

Rep. Kernell today announced his son had impregnated his 17 year old girlfriend and would marry her after serving in Iraq. He will now avoid questions for a month.

Posted by: ricky | September 24, 2008, 10:36 am 10:36 am

I hope this kid shares a celkl with Scooter Libby.

Posted by: ricky | September 24, 2008, 10:38 am 10:38 am

Didn’t Palin conduct official business using her yahoo email account? Is it illegal for her to do this?

Posted by: chris | September 24, 2008, 10:39 am 10:39 am

Young Mr. Kernell will be waterboarded to determine if he learned any Alaska National Guard secrets from Palin’s private account.

Posted by: ricky | September 24, 2008, 10:40 am 10:40 am

You know, Russia is just a keystroke away. Somebody like Karl Rove needs to teach Palin to take better care of her official government e-mail.

Posted by: ricky | September 24, 2008, 10:42 am 10:42 am

I guess a kid pulling a prank like this just opens up a can of worms. What was going through Palin’s mind as well as her teams to be using yahoo in the first place? It this why Schmidt feels comfortable with her? Is this a preview of a person a heartbeat away from the Presidency?

Posted by: Kim | September 24, 2008, 10:45 am 10:45 am

Why is Jake ignoring the all important Biden beat with this trash. McCain doesn’t use e-mail anyway and he’s at the top of the ticket.

Posted by: ricky | September 24, 2008, 10:46 am 10:46 am

The left has been aching for the Great Get Even ever since the 1972 election when a man with known mob associates, banking improprieties and a campaign willing to disgrace its opponents won by 60+ per cent. Two years later, he was resigning in disgrace.
So in this election, the left presents a man with mob associates, strong links to the financial crisis and a campaign using illegal registrations.
Barack Obama isn’t Jimmy Carter. He’s Richard Nixon.
The irony of that is delicious.

Posted by: len | September 24, 2008, 10:56 am 10:56 am

Nothing relating to State business was found in the emails the hacker retrieved.
In the hacker’s own words, he was “disappointed” that he found nothing “incriminating.”
This was an intentional criminal act that was committed in the interest of a political candiate, and I believe further investigation into this is warranted to see how far up the ladder the trail goes.
Initial stories on this incident reported that Kernell’s father is somehow linked to Obama’s campaign manager, Plouffe.

Posted by: SandyB | September 24, 2008, 11:01 am 11:01 am

Samantha: What kind of a person or governor, would run a government office thru her private email site??

Posted by: beck | September 24, 2008, 11:07 am 11:07 am

Let me rewrite my email that ABC deleted. Maybe it will stay this time. ABC what are you hiding here. This story has been out for 2 weeks. Talk about hiding the truth and issues.
Sara used her private email to run her government office. Period. So tell me please what type of person or governor would do this??

Posted by: beck | September 24, 2008, 11:16 am 11:16 am

Yes, the liberals who scream bloody murder about the Federal Government wiretapping to avoid TERRORISM, seem to have absolutely no problem whatsoever when one of their own commits a similar act.

Posted by: SandyB | September 24, 2008, 11:22 am 11:22 am

Great article, Jake. I see the connection you’re making. “Apparently left an easy trail for investigators” a slick way of saying grossly incompetent and inexperienced, combined with pointing out the Democrat familial tie just reassures us that deep down you’re still a rational Republican and Obama=Democrat=Inexperienced=Fraud.

Posted by: Emm | September 24, 2008, 11:28 am 11:28 am

Hey beck, just what official govt. business are you claiming she conducted? There’s not a shred of any govt. “business” on her whole account. No secret plots, no cover up plans, no “hey, don’t tell anybody, but. . .” That kool ade really causes blindness apparently.

Posted by: Emm | September 24, 2008, 11:32 am 11:32 am

Oops, I see SandyB beat me to it. Good work, Sandy. It goes to show Dems always jump at the first rumor and blindly follow it even in the face of truth. Jake, where’s your article about Obama and Biden both having supported and voted to continue the Bridge to Nowhere project TWICE?

Posted by: Emm | September 24, 2008, 11:37 am 11:37 am

Boy, you’re all over this week old story.

Posted by: Mack | September 24, 2008, 11:55 am 11:55 am

I remember when someone looked at the Messiah’s passport it was front page news.

Posted by: Mack | September 24, 2008, 11:58 am 11:58 am

“the truth” and conjecture are not the same thing, and you know he’s not the father because. . . ? you are? I’ve heard some whoppers, but this one ranks in the top five.

Posted by: Emm | September 24, 2008, 11:59 am 11:59 am

Barry’s passport being viewed is front page, breaking news.

Posted by: Mack | September 24, 2008, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm

OK, since the Obamabots are starting their little rumor mills again regarding Governor Palin’s daughter, let’s see what we have so far in the 2008 Watergate case…..
David Kernell, Palin’s alleged email hacker, was found to have a David Plouffe video on his Technorati Search page. The video has since been scrubbed from Kernell’s search page.
The Plouffe video was one which encouraged vollunteers to become members of the “Cavalry” for the Obama campaign.
Plouffe is also known to be a big advocate of NetRoots, who regulary take part in online mischief against political opponents. Obama produced a video for the NetRoots convention last summer.
Wonder if “the truth” might be one of Plouffe’s foot soldiers?
But I also wonder what is in Plouffe’s video that might have encouraged the alleged hacker to commit a criminal act in the name of the cause?

Posted by: SandyB | September 24, 2008, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm

Beck:
If you have a chance, please read the hacker’s entire confession. He claimed that he actually read every single email in the Palin’s account, and found nothing showing she was using the private email account to conduct state business. The hacker was very disappointed, he said he took a cold shower before he eventually spread out some snapshots of the email page. The press is not reporting on this, because all of the Obama supporters are disappointed that they had nothing to smear.
let’s ask Obama, he has a private email account too. Having private account doesn’t say you are using it for public business. Palin’s email exchange with her staff in her yahoo account was about a talk show host. So, you suggest that Palin should use her government account to talk about that stuff?
The media is so slanted trying to protect this hacker and the possible connection between this hacker and the Obama campaign. It will backfire, eventually.

Posted by: amy | September 24, 2008, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm

“I remember when someone looked at the Messiah’s passport it was front page news.”
You think a government employee snooping through passport records (including McCain btw) being sentenced is not front page worthy?
But an investigation into some lame ass hack is?

Posted by: Ryan C | September 24, 2008, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm

2008: The year when sexism trumped racism because holding women down is what men do to stay on top and keeping other women out is what women do to stay on bottom.

Posted by: len | September 24, 2008, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm

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