Posted on 06/17/2007 3:59:46 PM PDT by Baladas
RICHMOND, Va. -- Sen. Jim Webb said he owns the gun that an aide was arrested for carrying into the U.S. Capitol complex in March.
"It's my gun," Webb told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in an interview last week.
Webb previously had refused to say whether the gun was his, although his senior aide--Phillip Thompson--had told police the weapon belonged to the Democratic senator.
Thompson was arrested on an illegal handgun charge when he carried the loaded pistol and two other loaded magazines in a briefcase into the Russell Senate office building. A federal prosecutor later dropped the charge.
Webb said little about the incident in March, saying he did not want to prejudice the outcome of Thompson's case.
"It was a matter under legal consideration, and I was precluded from saying anything," Webb told the Richmond newspaper. "And I hope you'll understand that in matters of self-defense up here, it doesn't do anybody's safety a lot of good by talking about this stuff. We're pretty vulnerable up here."
Although Webb now acknowledges ownership of the gun, how and why it was in Thompson's possession remains unclear.
"I did not give it to Phillip, nor did I ask him to do anything with it," Webb said in the interview, reiterating what he told reporters in March.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailypress.com ...
One thing is clear. Webb’s loyalty to a friend extends only so far. After that it’s under the bus.
Webb`s a democrat. They get away with it most of the time unless you`re brazen and have a freezer full of cash.
Webb broke the law.
Shame on the people of Virginia for electing this turkey.
What a loser. He should have admitted it on Day One instead of dicking over his friend.
I’m ashamed in Virginia even though I fiercely opposed this dirty dog democrat every way I could. Macaca won him the election. Nothing else. And the Washington Post ran the Macaca story to death. He really is the Senator from the Washington Post, not Virginia. (Don’t forget Chuckie the Schmuck Schumer choose him, too, along with his gay caballero sidekick, Rahm Emmanuel. They deserve part of the blame for the shame on Virginia.)
I don’t think anyone broke the law and so it’s best for everyone to dummy-up, including Webb.
I’m really more interested in seeing DC lose its case than the incidental issue that its about a Democrat and his aide.
It will be interesting to see how DC prosecutes for gun transport on 2 miles of DC streets, without any witnesses or proof that this actually happened.
All anyone knows with any certainty is that the aide was transporting a firearm on Senate property, which is legal under the rules of the Senate.
Which is why its important for all involved to keep their mouths shut.
The question is really whether you want DC to win in a phoney gun prosecution, or for some relatively innocent schmoe (and former Marine) to be convicted for nothing, even though he’s a Democrat.
Personally I want DC to lose. Their case is absurd and involves less than 2 miles of DC I-395 (once you exit from I-395 you’re almost immediately on Congressional property).
If only every politician were to think that before they cast a vote...
So the Democrats and MSM are letting this scumbag escape scot-free.
Just so freaking predictable.
One thing that we can state as an absolute certainty, when the going get's tough, Webb resorts to lies and half-truths.
When will voters learn, dimocRATS lie, distort, and then shift the blame when they are caught red handed?
Republicans are subject to the same temptations, yet their voters hold their lies and distortions against them and toss them overboard - dimocRAT voters NEVER, EVER DO!
Translation:
“I always let a lackey carry my guns in DC. That way, they take the fall for violating DC law, if they’re nabbed. I’m too important to be slowed down by minor legal hassles, so it all works out for the best.”
In that case, Webb is an even bigger slimeball.
You're not alone. I certainly expect Webb to cast only pro-gun votes in the Senate, including to rid DC of their gun ban. I don't expect anybody to make needlessly self-incriminating statements. There is no way that I can imagine that any statement by Webb could establish the innocence of the aide.
How could Webb possibly state that the aide didn't know the gun was in the bag? Webb wasn't present when the aide took possession of the bag. Only the aide can state whether he knew the gun was in the bag.
Maybe he meant that he (Webb) didn't tell his aide that.
IMO it's plausible that there were a few bags in the back seat, the aide just scooped them up to bring them to office.
Who knows.
Webb lives in Virginia.
What happened with Webb is a problem I've often considered, as have many who have live in Virginia and have concealed carry permits.
If your job takes you into DC your permit is pretty much useless. Because 5 days of 7 you'll be leaving your firearm at home to comply with the DC gun ban. You really don't even want to transit through DC or to park your car and leave your gun there while working unless you want to test DC's non-recognition of "peaceable journey" provisions ("peaceable journey" is recognized by federal law, DC law is silent on it).
OK, I can live with that (BTW, I don't work in DC and don't carry regularly anyway, this is hypothetical), but what about the Northern Virginia woman who's being stalked, or who's been raped on her walk home for a Virginia Metro stop, or the guy who's been robbed? All of those people really can't carry during the week when they work in DC.
Fine, "Tell them to get jobs in Virginia".
OK, let's say they all do get jobs in Virginia. Now they can carry, and leave their firearm tucked away in the car while working. Problem is that many Northern Virginia workers might have cause to drive into DC one day, or to go into Maryland via DC interstate highways.
Once again you're screwed. Because the moment you cross the Potomac you're theoretically in violation of DC's silence on peaceable journey. You're in (almost) the same position as Webb's aide.
Or consider the delivery truck driver with a permit. You might have your firewarm secured in conformance with standard peacable journey requirements, but once you set tire on a DC street, once again you're screwed.
Back to Webb's aide.
Since he had a permit, there was no violation of Virginia law. Once he crossed the Potomac that was no longer true. And for the next 10,500 feet that remained the case. But the moment he drove on to Congressional property he was covered by Senate rules which allow Senate members and their staff to "transport" a fiream (which makes me wonder why DC is even involved in this, since the Senate rules are fairly clear).
I could be wrong, but I don't think DC has any case so long as he was "caught" on Senate grounds. What's left is the presumed 10,500 foot drive from the Potomac River to Senate property, all of which would likely have happened on I-395, a federal interstate
I was not suggesting that Webb did or did not attempt to explain what his aide knew. I was only suggesting that Webb could not be in a position to make any statement that was truly helpful to his aide.
Some criminal statutes include the words "intentionally" or "knowingly" to describe the criminal behavior. Others simply describe criminal behavior without regard to intention. Common law might have something to say about whether intentions are required to establish that a crime has been committed.
Regardless of whether DC had to prove that the aide "intentionally" did something, Webb was probably not able to state with evidential certainty that the aide did not know the gun was present.
The prosecution's decision to drop the case may have represented their assessment that they could not establish the aide's intention, given the fact that the gun was Webb's and the bag which contained it was Webb's. A jury would be hard-pressed to ignore the reasonable doubt that the aide was simply moving a bag not knowing the contents of the bag.
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