Palin said her divorce was 'when,' not 'if'

Sarah Palin, in 2007, indicated she was contemplating a divorce.

In a Sept. 26, 2007, email obtained by The Associated Press, Palin wrote to an aide and her husband, Todd Palin: "So speaking of. .. If we, er, when we get a divorce, does that quell 'conflict of interest' accusations about BP?"

The email was titled "Marital Problems."

At the time, her husband was working for BP on the North Slope pipeline.

An aide included on the email responded: "Very funny" — an indication Palin was joking.

No other details about the circumstances surrounding the emails were available.

The information was included in more than 17,000 records released Thursday by Alaska officials, according to The Associated Press, which obtained the documents as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.

Divorce rumors have circulated about the couple for years. In November of 2010 there was talk the couple reached a $20 million divorce settlement. The Palins denied it in an interview with People magazine.

In August 2009, the Palins denied reports of a divorce via a spokeswoman, who posted a note on Sarah Palin's Facebook page: "There is no truth to the recent 'story' (and story is the correct term for this type of fiction) that the Palins are divorcing. The Palins remain married, committed to each other and their family."

But other emails in the AP report indicate Palin's frustration in her final days as Alaska's governor, including one where she wrote: "I can't take it anymore."

In its analysis of the information, the AP writes: "The emails, most from Palin's final 10 months in office, illustrate what Palin has said all along: The intense scrutiny of her family and work was a financial and emotional drain that forced her to step down as governor."

In several of the emails, Palin complained about the financial toll on her family and the state of Alaska since she became John McCain's 2008 running mate.

She noted she had been the target of "many frivolous suits and charges since the DAY I became VP candidate. I can't afford this job."

Other tidbits from the document release:

-- In a March 19, 2009, email to aides Palin complained that the more than 150 Freedom of Information Act requests had cost Alaska more than $1 million, adding, "[A]nd who knows what all the bogus ethics charges have cost the state."

-- She was angry at having to pay for her own defense, which was about $500,000 at that point, saying Todd had to go back to work on the North Slope because of it: "We've all had to pay for our OWN legal defense in this political bloodsport — it's horrendous — why do you think Todd is on the slope today? I am paying to defend in my capacity as GOVERNOR — actions taken in my official position. This is unheard of anywhere else."

-- Palin, now a Fox News analyst, complained about the media in an April 11, 2009, email: "If there were any other way I could speak to Alaskans without going through some of these reporters, I sure would."

-- In April 2009, amid concerns about another ethics complaint, Palin wrote to her husband and two aides: "I can't take it anymore."

Palin resigned from the governorship in July 2009.

-- This story was last updated at 2:48 p.m.

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