Tom Turkey
Pity poor Tom Finneran. After plea-bargaining a federal perjury charge down to mere obstruction of justice, the former Speaker of the House in the state legislature now plies the trade of a radio talk-show host. And see what happens when he is asked about that perjury rap.
Three years ago, you took the witness stand and said you weren't involved in a redistricting plan. What were you thinking? In January, you pleaded guilty to felony perjury [sic].
My interpretation of the question was very different than the interpretation of the people who presented the question. I was involved in redistricting to the extent that I was asked [for my help], but it wasn't an active thing for me. The US attorney in court said there was evidence of as many as eight meetings on redistricting. I had probably somewhere between 2- and 3,000 meetings a year. A year! Eight meetings on redistricting, and somebody wants to present that like I was heavily involved?
I would think that any issue on which required a legislative leader to attend eight meetings meets a fairly stringent test for "involvement," but let us assume that it does not. How many meetings would Finneran need for involvement, and how many, if any, issues would meet that test?
Sometimes talk-show hosts need to keep their mouths shut, lest they let the truth out.
Labels: fool, perjury, Tom Finneran
