Ex-Rep. Cunningham lashes out in letter

AP on Yahoo ^ | 10/7/06 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

SAN DIEGO - Disgraced former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham lashed out at the reporter who uncovered the corruption scandal that sent him to prison, telling him in a letter that his "constant cruelty" had nearly destroyed Cunningham's life.

The former Navy "Top Gun" pilot also blasted defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who helped implicate him to authorities.

"Wade is the absolute devil," Cunningham wrote in the four-page, handwritten letter, excerpts of which were published Saturday on the San Diego Union-Tribune's Web site.

Wade has pleaded guilty to giving Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes and is awaiting sentencing. His lawyer said he would have no comment on the letter.

Marcus Stern, the Copley News Service reporter who broke the news last year of Cunningham's corruption, said he didn't take the former congressman's remarks personally.

"I just felt this was a guy in anguish," Stern told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Stern said he wrote to Cunningham in early September, requesting an interview. The Union-Tribune said Cunningham's letter was dated Sept. 15.

"I hurt more than anyone could imagine and without my faith your constant cruelty would destroy me," Cunningham wrote.

The Republican, who held seats on powerful House intelligence and appropriations committees, admitted last November that he accepted $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors in exchange for government contracts and other favors.

Among other things, Wade said he gave Cunningham expensive rugs, furniture and jewelry, as well as cash, in exchange for support for his company's efforts to win defense contracts.

"I should have said no to the gifts. For that, I am truly sorry," Cunningham wrote.

Cunningham was sentenced in March to more than eight years in federal prison and is being housed at a low-security correctional center in North Carolina.

"Each time you print it hurts my family and now I have lost them along with everything I have worked for during my 64 years of life," Cunningham wrote. "I am human not an animal to keep whipping."

[Perdogg]

I guess we are going to get more and more stories like these before Nov 7th.

[builder]

If you can't do the time........

[Enchante]

"I should have said no to the gifts. For that, I am truly sorry," Cunningham wrote.

That should have been the entire letter....

[builder]

......don't do the crime.

[Perdogg]

He's at FCI Butner.

[Criminal Number 18F]

This seems to be a year for Republicans to exercise impeccable plantar marksmanship.

Duke is truly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, when he writes an achingly personal letter to a reporter. That's equivalent of that dumb granola boy who used to go to Kodiak, wrangel, or someplace similar and croon love songs to the grizzlies. A couple of dumb mother lovers.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Zeroisanumber]

I admire Randy Cunningham's service to his country, and I imagine that his letters are those of a man at the end of his rope. That said, he chose to take bribes and now he's paying for it. I don't see how that is the reporter's fault.

[YdontUleaveLibs]

Cunningham should sit down and shut up til November 8th and he is smart enough to know that.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Sounds like Duke is not adjusting to prison well... but he was a hell of a pilot!

F-4 Shoots Down MiG-21. JANUARY 19- Lieutenants Randall Cunningham and William Driscoll in an F-4 of VF-96 off Constellation shot down a MiG-21, the first enemy aircraft downed since 28 March 1970, when Lieutenants Jerome Beaulier and Steven Barkley in an F-4 of VF-142 off Constellation downed a MiG-21. The 19January action occurred during a protective reaction strike in response to earlier AAA and SAM firings from the area which had menaced an RA-5C reconnaissance plane and its escorts. This accounted for the Navy's 33rd MiG shot down in the Vietnam war since the first on 17 June 1965, downed by Commanders Louis Page and John Smith in an F-4 of VF-21 off Midway.

[Perdogg]

I don't disagree. He wrote the letter a month ago and they are now publishing it.

[Perdogg]

FCI Butner is a piece of cake. From what I hear.

[cynwoody]

The Duke's in the stir for 100 months, right where he belongs.

Mitchell Wade's boat, on which
Cunningham lived rent-free

[stephenjohnbanker]

"Cunningham was sentenced in March to more than eight years in federal prison and is being housed at a low-security correctional center in North Carolina."

Yet, a female illegal was sentenced to 6 months in jail and deportation for collecting 26,000 a month in welfare benefits(identity theft, credit identity theft) over a five year period.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Re: FCI Butner.

Heh. That made me pull up the BOP inmate locator at

http://www.bop.gov/

RANDALL HAROLD CUNNINGHAM 94405-198 64 White M 06-04-2013 BUTNER LOW FCI

In order, that's full name, inmate number, age, race, sex, projected release date, and current digs.


Some guys never change. When he was living on the Duke Stir, he was living in housing someone else paid for, and now, he still is!

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Perdogg]

I like the NC Dept of Corrections site better. They show a photo with their inmates. That's why I would never commit a crime. I am too good looking to let prison make me ugly. ;)

[concerned about politics]

I guess we are going to get more and more stories like these before Nov 7th.

FOX showed a tape of Murtha taking bribes during the ABSCAM scandal.

Abscam scandal ( a good read about democrat $$$ corruption)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABSCAM

[cynwoody]

Yet, a female illegal was sentenced to 6 months in jail and deportation for collecting 26,000 a month in welfare benefits(identity theft, credit identity theft) over a five year period.

Let's see ... the Duke stole 2.4 million, so ...

100.0*60*26000/2.4e6 = 65.0

... by that standard, she should have got 5.5 years. Of course, on the other hand, she didn't place control of congress in jeopardy. Grrr......

[TimSkalaBim]

I hope Randy "Duke" Cunningham is okay. Here's to his service to our country.