Posted on 09/03/2009 11:47:45 AM PDT by kingattax
For New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, last Friday was long in coming — the day a federal prosecutor announced that after nearly a year investigating alleged corruption in the awarding of state contracts, he had wrapped up the case without any indictments. The investigation had cast a cloud over Richardson, scuttling a job in the Obama Cabinet and putting in doubt his political future.
But even as Richardson and his allies proclaimed his “vindication” and predicted it would catapult him back onto the national stage, the prosecutor handling the case wouldn’t let the matter fade. U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt fired off a letter to defense lawyers asserting the inquiry "revealed that pressure from the governor's office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process,” holding out the possibility of reconvening an investigation and stressing that the decision not to charge Richardson “is not to be interpreted as an exoneration of any party's conduct.”
Now, as Richardson attempts to reassume the national and international stage — he recently hosted a delegation of North Koreans in the state and traveled to Cuba on a trade mission — he and his allies are lashing out at the prosecutor. And they have a point, according to some legal experts.
If Fouratt thought he had a case, he should have filed charges, but if he didn’t, he should have let the investigation end without comment, said Stan Brand, a top Washington defense attorney. “Put up or shut up,” said Brand, who called the letter “a cheap shot.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
headlines can be very unintentionally (or not) funny sometimes
Yes.....anytime you put ‘probe’ and ‘behind’ in a headline....well....you need to hire some new editors...;)
USA Fouratt later released a statement:
“Dude! He’s farting fire!”
Okay. I was a little late with that one. :-)
“Richardson tries to put probe behind, but feds won’t let him.”
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Sounds like a typical visit to the proctologist under Obamacare. Now they are rationing probes....will this work out in the end??? Wake up America!!!
barney fwanke likes a probe behind him. (really too easy)
Bookmarking, because the headline is priceless!
That's my kind of Democrat!
He'd like to host delegations from free nations, but what would they talk about?
Liberal Loser ping!
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