Moral high ground on campaign cash can be a slippery place
Perfect silent? Jim Herring thought. But Wayne Dowdy had an answer.
Last week, herring, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, the cameras complained of a press conference in Jackson. The big announcement was that his party would return to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mississippi throughout the Oxford lawyer Dickie Scruggs $ 27250 had donated for the party in the years 2002, 2003 and 2004.
The noble gesture – purge imperfections of dollars in the GOP’s bank account – was accompanied by a challenge, Mississippi Democrats also cleanse the stain of Scruggs’ money.
Herring know that, for every dollar Scruggs there was no republican cause, it is at least 99 Democrats and their causes. In fact, there were not Scruggs’ broad support from Democrats, Republicans seeking to gain complete control of the political offices in Mississippi over the past 20 years has been achieved.
The response from Dowdy, Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, however, was that donations directly to Scruggs party has been minimal. “Our data show that Richard” Dickie “Scruggs has increased from $ 1,000 to the Democratic Party of Mississippi, in January 2005. We do not intend to add that amount to be refunded or make a donation,” said without elegance.
Scruggs is the best known among lawyers as part of the state and former Auditors to Steve Patterson, convicted of federal corruption charges. Rates are expected in Scruggs’ firm, the lawyer Timothy Balducci, permission to try to use cash payments – four of 10000 dollars – to attract court Judge Henry Lackey, to their way in a dispute with other attorneys conciliation $ 27 million in legal fees.
There are indictments, Scruggs has been consistently listed among America’s superlawyers.
He won millions for the claimants, the recourse of asbestos exposure and fired on tobacco. Few have a moral theory, a chance, but what is the Mississippi (through the violent protests of the former Gov. Kirk Fordice), he fought a colony billion treat taxpayers market Mississippi, and then played a prominent role in settlements in other states and nationally. Then came Hurricane Katrina, and the refusal of some insurance companies on wages and wage demands had thought should be paid to policyholders.
What personal wealth grew Scruggs – to more than $ 1 billion from the United States of most estimates – have a preference for politics.
Herring’s tour of the last week was for hay of a federal policy to criminal prosecution.
When it comes to money, is it only in the context that matters. It is true and explicitly a crime, a judge money in exchange for the decision, it is entirely lawful for the money to judicial campaigns in Mississippi.
Indeed, every day in this state, the legal representatives of the judge, prior to entering the full knowledge that lawyers for their campaigns. This was not seen as a problem.
In addition, for this question was seen as a problem for other candidates to accept money from donors was significantly to buy access and influence, and, yes, the results obtained. That should not be too big a shock Herring.
But here’s the real silent: With laws on the books, Herring could know exactly how much money has Scruggs and to whom. The reason can it not due to the fact that management has reviewed insists full transparency in the financing of the campaign have been repeatedly – especially by Republicans, and certainly on the veto pen of Gov. Haley Barbour .
Herring may not be refused for land use moral high for the GOP. It is his task. A trace of the money, however, is to share the Democrats and the Republicans. And not really interested, where people know where their money comes.