Posted on 02/17/2006 7:46:37 AM PST by Southside_Chicago_Republican
CHICAGO - Actor Mike Farrell testified Thursday that he has been inspired by George Ryan's honesty and integrity, but the star of TV's "M.A.S.H." series was upstaged by allegations of bias and bickering that flared among feuding federal prosecutors.
"I have thought of him as a good, old-fashioned, meat-and-potatoes, midwestern Republican gentleman," Farrell told reporters as he left the courthouse where the former governor has been on trial for 20 weeks, charged with racketeering, mail fraud and other offenses.
Farrell and Ryan both have been active in the movement to abolish the death penalty. The actor, who flew in from Los Angeles to serve as a character witness for Ryan, said before leaving that he was frustrated by a judge's ruling barring him from any mention of capital punishment.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer says the death-penalty issue has nothing to do with charges that as secretary of state and later governor Ryan steered state contracts and leases to co-defendant Larry Warner and other friends and received vacations and gifts in return.
On the witness stand, Farrell admitted he knew nothing about those charges, which Ryan and Warner deny.
"You have no knowledge of how Mr. Ryan conducted his office as secretary of state?" lead prosecutor Patrick M. Collins asked.
"I have no personal knowledge -- I can guess," Farrell said.
"We don't want you to guess," Collins said.
Asked point-blank about his opinion of Ryan, Farrell said: "I'm inspired by his honesty and integrity. I believe he is a deeply honest man of great integrity and great courage."
(Excerpt) Read more at belleville.com ...
I wish Randolph Mantooth or the guy who played Marcus Welby's barber would weigh in on this, to get a balanced perspective.
Farrell is a laughable idiot. He goes to testify for Ryan thinking he can use the courtroom as a platform to spout off against the death penalty, but the judge cuts him off at the knees. Good for the judge.
Not that there was any doubt.
Two things Ryan does not have- honesty and integrity.
He killed the Republican party in IL for a long time to come.
Piece of sh!t.
I was watching a "Baretta" episode a while back and there was an actor, playing a wino, who looked familiar to me. I checked for the name in the credits and looked him up in the Internet Movie Database. Some of his other roles -- "winehead, "bum," "bum #2", and "derelict." I knew he was familiar. Let's get him to testify, too.
I wonder when was the last time he had such nice things to say about a Republican??
LOL
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