Fred Thompson a backer of Libby and Washington establishment

Fred Thompson, who is announcing his intention to run for president, is an ardent supporter of guilty Cheney official Scooter Libby.  Earlier this month, Thompson wrote a column for a conservative blog that attacked both Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and the judge for being too tough on Libby:

Proving once again that Fitzgerald can get away with practicallyanything in Washington, the judge apparently accepted Fitzgerald’sargument, contrary to all notions of basic fairness.  The judge rejected his ownprobation office’s recommendation, not only doubling the 15-monthminimum to 30 months, but also fining Mr. Libby $250,000 and giving him400 hours of public service.

...Official behavior, with regard to matters like the ScooterLibby case, are not what our framers had in mind. Now this excessivesentence, given by the Federal District Judge is just another in a longline of reasons why Mr. Libby should be pardoned.

Of course, there was more to it than just the judge and the prosecutor.  The jury unanimously found Libby guilty on four criminal counts.  That is how our justice system is supposed to work.

Fred Thompson likes to paint himself as a Washington-outsider.  Still, that did not stop him from holding fundraisers for Scooter Libby's legal defense fund. 

Thompson is part of the establishment.  He served as a lobbyist for twenty years:

As a lobbyist for more than 20 years, billion-dollar corporationspaid Thompson for his access to members of Congress and White Housestaff. During that time he was close to two Senate majority leaders,both from his home state of Tennessee - his political mentor HowardBaker and, more recently, his former colleague Bill Frist.

DuringBaker's tenure, Thompson lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulationbill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclearenergy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.

Morerecently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than$750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted tolimit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.

So much for having clean hands.  This guy would do nothing to fix Washington.

Comments

[granny]

Excellent coverage!! Right on the money!