Sarah Palin had to make a choice, resign and remain financially secure, or not quit. If she had not quit she would have ended up spending every cent (and risk destroying her economic security, kids’ education future, food on the table, roof over her head) because Alaska does not limit lawsuits against their governor nor provide funds for their defense.
So many things have happened since then, but I seem to recall that they pilloried her for trying to set up a legal defense fund to pay the lawyers she needed to hie to defend her. It was all about destroying her in any possible way, financially, politically, legally and in the media who was protected because she was a “public figure”.
You remember correctly.