Following former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump for president, News quickly broke out of Wasilla, Alaska that 26-year-old Track Palin had been arrested. The charges filed against Palin's son include, but aren't limited to, domestic violence against a female.
After Palin announced her support for Trump, the story involving her son's arrest quickly went viral across the internet.
The timing couldn't be worse for Palin who just hours before found herself back in mainstream American politics. Palin addressed the issue during a campaign stop for Trump in Iowa, putting the blame of her son's legal troubles and alleged PTSD on President Obama. Recently released documents contradict those claims, showing that Track never saw combat during his time in Iraq, as reported by Ring of Fire Radio on Jan. 25.
Palin's outburst
While addressing a crowd of Trump supporters in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Jan. 20, Palin decided to bring up what she called the "elephant in the room." Palin described her son as "hardened" and "a bit different" since returning from Iraq, and deflected the blame on the president.
"It starts from the top, the question though it comes from our own president," Palin said. "When they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through, do you know what we're trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us?"
The White House fired back at Palin's allegations 24 hours later during a press conference. Speaking to the media, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the issue of "domestic violence" was not something that Palin should be speaking about, noting that, "The issues she's (Palin) talking about are quite serious and certainly issues that we take quite seriously here."
The backlash
The head of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Rick Rieckhoff responded to Palin's statement, saying she shouldn't "politicize" the issue of PTSD and hoped it "doesn’t become a portable chew toy in a political campaign."
In addition, Track Palin's public records indicate that not only did he only serve one year in Iraq, which was under the George W.
Bush administration, he also didn't even see one moment of combat. An anonymous fellow solider also spoke about the issue, debunking Palin's earlier claims. “Speaking as a combat vet who literally slept in the same barracks as Track Palin, his mother is wrong and her son is not a victim.”