Inside Politics - Conspiracy theory - Presumed guilty

White House spokesman Scott McClellan yesterday responded to a report in USA Today detailing how in the late 1990s, as Mr. Bush prepared to run for president, top-ranking Texas National Guard officers and Bush advisers discussed ways to limit the release of potentially embarrassing details in his military records.

Woolsey said in her letter - sent a month before the Jan. 9 sentencing of Stewart Pearson, 20, of San Rafael - she intended to be a "character witness" for his family. Pearson's mother, Tondrea Pearson, is a case worker in Woolsey's San Rafael office.

In July 2003, a 17-year-old Terra Linda woman awoke as Pearson tried to knock her unconscious by smothering her face with a rag soaked in household cleaning chemicals. He then raped her, according to court records.

The teenage victim testified that Pearson, whom she had known since middle school, said he had done the same thing before, and that he intended to do the same thing again.

Woolsey's letter, an apparent plea for leniency, was sent to Marin Superior Court Judge Terrence Boren, but appeared to carry little weight.

Pearson was sentenced to eight years in state prison for forcible rape, the maximum allowed under a plea deal in which other charges of sodomy and assault were dropped.

Marin County Deputy District Attorney Alan Charmatz, the lead prosecutor on the case, called the assault "as bad as it gets" and joined a victims' rights advocate in expressing outrage at Woolsey's action.

"It is hard to imagine that after someone has committed a brutal crime like that they (Woolsey's office) would want to write a letter. ... Somebody is sending something on official letterhead," Charmatz said.

The prosecutor added: "If you had an official office you would think twice about what you write and whether it involves the kind of work that you do."

Gloria Young, executive director of United Against Sexual Assault, a rape crisis center in Santa Rosa, expressed concern about the situation.

"My question is, why is Lynn Woolsey advocating for this rapist?" Young said.

Woolsey, who is seeking re-election in the 6th Congressional District, is known for her staunch liberal political views and has long advocated for women's rights through progressive programs. In 1994, Woolsey supported the passage of the Violence Against Women Act and helped garner $5 million for local support programs.

In the letter to Judge Boren, dated Dec. 2 , Woolsey wrote: "I have known Stewart and his family for almost six years ... Stewart Pearson is a young man from a supportive family. I believe he has a promising life ahead of him, and urge you to consider these factors when deciding upon a suitable sentence."

Pressed by the Independent Journal on why she sent the letter, Woolsey was initially defensive and seemed to draw a blank.

"Obviously, in my eyes he is not a criminal," she said of the son of her office employee. But then she appeared to change her mind. "I knew nothing about the incidents. I had no idea what the courts had found out."

Woolsey, who wrote her letter after Pearson pleaded guilty on Sept. 11, 2003, to raping the Marin teen, said she was advocating for Pearson's family, not for him.

"What I said in that letter was that when deciding his sentence, he has a good support system - that was not based on what he did or didn't do. His family support system would be paying very close attention to what happened to him."

Young, the Sonoma County rape crisis official, said a supportive family would do little to reform Pearson.

"If he is a rapist, then a support network is not going to do anything - a rape is a felony crime, it is not a disorder, it is not a disease," Young said. "I have never even heard of someone advocating for a rapist because he has a good support system."

Not all women's rights advocates took issue with Woolsey's letter on behalf of the rapist.

"I think the letter is about the proactive support for her employee," said Donna Garske, executive director of Marin Abused Women's Services. "I don't see anything in here that is inconsistent with her violence-against-women agenda. I thought it was quite brave of her to put herself out there. She is not proposing that the family become the solution for his violent behavior."

Officials at the Rape Crisis Center of Marin declined comment on the Woolsey letter.

Prosecutor Charmatz had little tolerance for Woolsey's action.

"It is somewhat disturbing," he said, referring to the letter. "People write letters without taking the time to think about the facts and the choices the person made and whether there was another side of them. People should be better informed before they write letters to the court.

"You can have the greatest parent in the world - it doesn't excuse you from what you do."

Roger D. Blevins III, a familiar behind-the-scenes figure in state Democratic politics, was arrested Tuesday morning for allegedly embezzling $350,000 from the campaign treasury for U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., essentially draining what was left in the account, according to the offices of Biden and the U.S. Attorney for Delaware.

The arrest came a week after Blevins admitted to two FBI agents he had taken the money by making 22 electronic transfers, one for $80,000, to other bank accounts, including one in Florida, between October and July, U.S. Attorney Colm F. Connolly said.

Blevins, 32, of Elsmere, turned himself in to the FBI and was released on his own recognizance by the U.S. District Court. He was charged with the interstate transfer of stolen property, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. He will be scheduled for a court appearance within 10 days, the two offices said.

Blevins could not be located for comment. Penny Marshall of the Federal Public Defender's Office declined comment and said Blevins also did.

Details of what happened were sketchy. The investigation began 10 days ago when Biden's staff went to the Federal Bureau of Investigation with their suspicions of embezzlement, according to Margaret Aitken, the senator's press secretary.

Blevins has been a campaign worker for Biden for nine years, most recently earning about $25,000 a year, Aitken said. He was part of the 2002 re-election effort, which spent roughly $3 million to put Biden in the Senate for a sixth term by defeating Republican Raymond J. Clatworthy with 58 percent of the vote.

After the election Blevins was retained as a one-man skeleton crew. The timing of the alleged thefts occurred from the harried climax of the campaign to the desultory interest that comes afterwards.

"Senator Biden is obviously disappointed and shares a sense of betrayal with all of his supporters," Aitken said.

The first public sign that something was wrong actually came last week. At that time Blevins submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons, as secretary for the New Castle County Democrats, according to John D. Daniello, the county chairman.

Blevins had something of a reputation for quiet eccentricity but also for an ever-helpful manner and a knack for computer work. He got his start in party politics by volunteering at Democratic state headquarters in the early 1990s and also worked for a time as an aide in Legislative Hall.

There seemed to be talk of little else Tuesday in Democratic Party circles. The sense of shock was exceeded only by a determination to keep all that talk private. No one had seen this coming.

Some of the stolen money also was used to buy "luxury items" including a Porsche Boxster, a BMW convertible and a plasma television, according to the indictment. Blevins also "wrote numerous checks to himself ... [and used] the funds for personal expenses including multiple trips to Florida, family bills and gifts of substantial amounts of money."

Authorities charge Blevins made at least 20 transfers from Biden's Delaware account to two banks in Florida in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $80,000. According to earlier court papers, Blevins acknowledged the transfers were not for legitimate campaign expenses.

Officials said in July the thefts virtually cleaned out Biden's only re-election account.

After Blevins was charged, Biden issued a statement saying he was disappointed and felt betrayed.

Each of the 20 counts of interstate transport of stolen property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Blevins worked for Biden as a paid staffer for about nine years. He was solely responsible for maintaining the records of Biden's re-election account and was one of two people with authority to withdraw money, according to court papers.

Money in the account could have been used by Biden to fund a campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

However, Biden spokeswoman Margaret Aitken said in July the theft would not affect Biden's decision to seek the White House, noting the senator would have to raise far more than $350,000 to run for president.

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