- ‹ previous
- 4146 of 8795
- next ›
Hillary Clinton Says Bye-Bye to Indicted Trial Lawyer
Bad news for trial lawyers, and bad news for Bill and Hillary, too. Famed Mississippi plaintiff's lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, who was slated to host a Clinton fundraiser next month, was indicted yesterday for allegedly trying to bribe a state court judge. The indictment comes a day after the FBI raided his office looking for a document, and two days after Scruggs' brother-in-law, Trent Lott, announced his resignation from the Senate.
When the FBI first raided Scruggs' office, Lott said the timing of his resignation was just a coincidence. But you do have to wonder. The indictment is pretty damning, and includes apparently taped conversations between the judge and some of the other lawyers involved in the alleged scheme.
The indictment will no doubt have other political fallout. Scruggs is a high-profile figure, having just used his private jet to ferry the new University of Mississippi football coach to Oxford hours before turning himself in to law enforcement authorities. He made millions off the state's lawsuit against the tobacco companies in the 1990s and has been leading the litigation against insurance companies over denied Katrina claims, including Lott's. Scruggs has been a generous Democratic political donor, particularly in Mississippi, where he used some of his tobacco winnings to found a now-defunct PAC to help elect liberal candidates to state office.
But his political loyalties have always been a little suspect, and not just because of his in-law status. This year, for instance, he has given nearly $30,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and several thousand dollars to Joe Biden. But he's also contributed to Republican John McCain. Next month, Bill Clinton was scheduled to headline a fundraiser for his wife at Scruggs' Oxford home. Not surprisingly, today a Clinton spokesman tells Mother Jones that the event is "not happening."
It's hardly the Clintons' fault this guy turned out to be shady, but once again, the fundraising is being done by someone who appears ethically challenged. It keeps happening that they associate with people like this. I don't get the support for Hillary when we have a bunch of candidates who don't have this problem. The Culture of Corruption charge can work in 2008 like it did last year, provided we don't have a candidate with enough problems to undermine it.
Between this scandal and Norman Hsu scandal from a couple months back, I'd say Hillary would have a very hard time using Culture of Corruption as a campaign issue. It will definitely blow up in her face if she tries.
She'd also have a hard time using Iraq as an issue, given her continued support for it.
Frankly, I'm at a loss to figure why organizations like Mother Jones haven't been putting more effort into highlighting Dennis Kucinich. He clearly represents Genuine Change better than anyone else the Democratic party has at this point.
It doesn't reflect badly on Billary? Really? How do you figure that? It is an example of where the money behind her campaign is coming from! Money in expects money out! If Billary is elected. So she will be obligated to theives and other criminals like Dick Scruggs.