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| Richardson tries to put probe behind, but feds won't let him |
| 2009-09-04 |
| For New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, last Friday was long in coming -- the day a federal prosecutor announced that after nearly a year investigating alleged corruption in the awarding of state contracts, he had wrapped up the case without any indictments. The investigation had cast a cloud over Richardson, scuttling a job in the Obama Cabinet and putting in doubt his political future. But even as Richardson and his allies proclaimed his "vindication" and predicted it would catapult him back onto the national stage, the prosecutor handling the case wouldn't let the matter fade. U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt fired off a letter to defense lawyers asserting the inquiry "revealed that pressure from the governor's office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process," holding out the possibility of reconvening an investigation and stressing that the decision not to charge Richardson "is not to be interpreted as an exoneration of any party's conduct." Now, as Richardson attempts to reassume the national and international stage -- he recently hosted a delegation of North Koreans in the state and traveled to Cuba on a trade mission -- he and his allies are lashing out at the prosecutor. And they have a point, according to some legal experts. If Fouratt thought he had a case, he should have filed charges, but if he didn't, he should have let the investigation end without comment, said Stan Brand, a top Washington defense attorney. "Put up or shut up," said Brand, who called the letter "a cheap shot." Mike McKay, who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington state under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, called Fouratt's letter "virtually unprecedented. It reflects extremely poor judgment." "The very existence of federal criminal investigations is not supposed to be disclosed," he said, citing the potential damage to the subjects' reputations. "And certainly for the same reasons, you don't disclose closed investigations," he said. Both McKay and Brand said they expected President Barack Obama to replace Fouratt, much as he's done with other U.S. Attorney holdovers from the Bush administration. Brand said Obama was probably waiting for the Richardson case to conclude before proceeding, out of concern that replacing Fouratt mid-investigation could appear to be an effort to quash the inquiry. Richardson's office issued a statement calling Fouratt's letter "wrong on the facts" and "nothing more than sour grapes." And Steve Murphy, who was a top adviser to Richardson's 2006 reelection campaign and his 2008 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, called the letter "a disgraceful, politically motivated statement." Murphy asserted the letter wouldn't prevent Richardson from putting the investigation behind him but also suggested the governor might wage a PR offensive of sorts. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Now, as Richardson attempts to reassume the national and international stage -- he recently hosted a delegation of North Koreans in the state and traveled to Cuba on a trade mission -- he and his allies are lashing out at the prosecutor. oookaaay. |
| Posted by: Jumbo Slinerong5015 2009-09-04 00:34 |