GOP Lawmakers Tried To Influence Federal Investigation

[babsbunny]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0302-01.htm

Published on Friday, March 2, 2007 by McClatchy Newspapers
GOP Lawmakers Tried to Influence Federal Investigation
by Marisa Taylor

WASHINGTON - Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico pressured the U.S. attorney in their state to speed up indictments in a federal corruption investigation that involved at least one former Democratic state senator, according to two people familiar with the contacts.


U.S. Attorney David Iglesias speaks at his last press conference at the U.S. Attorney offices in Albuquerque, N.M., Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007. Iglesias said Wednesday he doesn't mind 'being a political pinata,' but he does resent any inference that his office wasn't doing its job. Iglesias - one of seven U.S. attorneys nationwide abruptly asked by the Bush administration on Dec. 7 to resign - defended his record on his last day in office. (AP Photo/Jake Schoellkopf)

The alleged involvement of the two Republican lawmakers raises questions about possible violations of House of Representatives and Senate ethics rules and could taint the criminal investigation into the award of an $82 million courthouse contract.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. This is a point where lawmakers HAVE TO defer to prosecutors who

have carefully analyzed the potential success of a prosecution. It's easy to indict. It's harder to win a conviction. And even in the prospect of a conviction, the decision is subject to constitutional challenge and the decision vacated, overturned, or reversed, and no prosecutor wants a resume full of failures. To have a prosecutor go after targets selected by legislators is folly on many levels, but especially it's using vindictive prosecutorial harassment against citizens. It's one thing to be caught in the net of the criminal "justice" system and sort things out (provided you can afford a good defense attorney) and another thing where you are targeted and chased down by the government using its courts to hurt you. Don't forget -- it's more than a conviction. It's potentially imprisonment, fines, both, and a criminal record as a felon, not to mention a reputation marred by the conviction.

[Doctor_J]

2. Can we call it facism yet?

:shrug: