Brad Bumsted, the Tribune-Review's State Capital reporter, wrote a critque piece over the weekend on the defense employed for Michael Veon et al in their misuse of public funds trial, aka Bonusgagte. Mike Veon brought in an attorney friend who uses theatrics to bewilder the juries facing him.
Dan Raynak is throwing up that is part rope-a-dope, part David Copperfield, part blame-everyone-else and, most of all, let confusion reign.
Prosecutors believe they can win if they keep jurors' eye on the ball -- the specific counts of corruption against the former powerful legislative leader. On a daily basis, Raynak is trying to take their eyes off that ball.
Distraction is the name of the game for Raynak, a powerful and commanding presence in the courtroom. Dauphin County jurors will either love him or hate him
One image is hard even for Raynak to erase:
Displayed on an oversized screen for the jury was a color photo of Veon and his staff, each with a big cigar in hand, attending a fundraiser in his district while taxpayers picked up the tab for staff travel.
Bumsted highlights in his piece a parade of witnesses that will surely tilt the preponderance of evidence in the state's favor. He makes the case that Raynak will have a hard time convincing a jury there is a conspiracy to convict Michael Veon et al. SOP agrees that it will be hard to sway the jurors everyone is lying except Michael Veon.
Veon shouldn't take that assessment personal. It is what it is. There are parts to Michael Veon that really want a person to root for him, but there is little "Kazoo" saying "He's guilty". Only time will tell whether the Johnny Cocoran in Dan Raynak will prevail.
Showing posts with label Bonsugate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonsugate. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Mr. Eachus Maintains Innocence
Todd Eachus has tried to escape the public eye with regards to Bonusgate. However residents of the 116th should be wary of those claims. Let's read a story from Philadelphia and the Associated Press on Wednesday December 23, last.
Witness: I was hired as House aide to politick
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press
HARRISBURG - The majority leader of the Pennsylvania House directed campaign activities by legislative employees and raised campaign funds from inside the Capitol, according to witness testimony in transcripts obtained by the Associated Press.
The witnesses in the widening probe, which has reached top levels of the state General Assembly, allege conduct by Todd Eachus similar to that for which 25 others have been charged.
Eachus has not been charged, and the allegations date to before he was elected majority leader a year ago.
John Paul Jones, a $62,000-a-year legislative research specialist until December 2007, told the grand jury that Eachus, D-Luzerne, brought him onto the state payroll after the November 2006 election, which returned Democrats to the majority in the House, with a cover story about his legislative work.
"That was sort of like the code of, here's what I do, but really I was solely there as a political guy," Jones said.
Jones testified that Eachus told him he considered the General Assembly's capability to produce public service announcements a free tool to help incumbents get re-elected.
For nearly three years, state Attorney General Tom Corbett has been investigating whether state lawmakers and their aides used legislative employees and state-owned equipment for campaign purposes.
The scandal began with news that millions in bonuses had been quietly handed out to employees of the General Assembly, and a series of five grand-jury reports has alleged that many of those bonuses were part of a conspiracy that also involved state contracts and computer equipment, as well as some of the highest-ranking members of the state House and aides.
The transcripts were provided on the condition of anonymity by a person connected to the defendants, who are expected to go on trial in January.
Eachus declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Corbett, a Republican running for governor.
But Eachus told WNEP-TV in Scranton this week that he was shocked and saddened "to see colleagues of ours having problems. But I say this, that anyone who has created a problem should face justice."
In a May 2008 grand-jury appearance, Jones said that while he was working for the House Democratic Campaign Committee in the run-up to that pivotal 2006 election, he and another campaign committee employee worked closely with Eachus out of an office in the Capitol's East Wing.
He said they helped Eachus phone Democratic state representatives to pressure them either to donate to the campaign committee or promise to spend a certain amount on their own races.
"As Todd would often say, he wanted to spend what he called soft dollars, which were government dollars, on public service announcements so that we had to ultimately spend less hard campaign dollars," Jones testified.
Did Jones testify that Eachus directed the use of GOVERNMENT dollars aka OUR MONEY, on public service announcements so they wouldn't have to use campaign donation dollars?????? Todd, care to explain.
From SOP post dated December 5, 2009
In the Standard Speaker article Eachus spokesman Brett Marcy had no comment when asked Thursday whether Eachus has been asked to testify. That is a curious statement given when asked back on July 7, 2009 by the Times Leader the reply was Brett Marcy said Eachus was not among the legislators who testified before the grand jury, nor was he interviewed by any law enforcement officials regarding the Bonusgate case." -- WB Times Leader 7/7/09 according to those great folks at CasablancaPA.com. When the answer is no there is an explanation. Take it from there.
Witness: I was hired as House aide to politick
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press
HARRISBURG - The majority leader of the Pennsylvania House directed campaign activities by legislative employees and raised campaign funds from inside the Capitol, according to witness testimony in transcripts obtained by the Associated Press.
The witnesses in the widening probe, which has reached top levels of the state General Assembly, allege conduct by Todd Eachus similar to that for which 25 others have been charged.
Eachus has not been charged, and the allegations date to before he was elected majority leader a year ago.
John Paul Jones, a $62,000-a-year legislative research specialist until December 2007, told the grand jury that Eachus, D-Luzerne, brought him onto the state payroll after the November 2006 election, which returned Democrats to the majority in the House, with a cover story about his legislative work.
"That was sort of like the code of, here's what I do, but really I was solely there as a political guy," Jones said.
Jones testified that Eachus told him he considered the General Assembly's capability to produce public service announcements a free tool to help incumbents get re-elected.
For nearly three years, state Attorney General Tom Corbett has been investigating whether state lawmakers and their aides used legislative employees and state-owned equipment for campaign purposes.
The scandal began with news that millions in bonuses had been quietly handed out to employees of the General Assembly, and a series of five grand-jury reports has alleged that many of those bonuses were part of a conspiracy that also involved state contracts and computer equipment, as well as some of the highest-ranking members of the state House and aides.
The transcripts were provided on the condition of anonymity by a person connected to the defendants, who are expected to go on trial in January.
Eachus declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Corbett, a Republican running for governor.
But Eachus told WNEP-TV in Scranton this week that he was shocked and saddened "to see colleagues of ours having problems. But I say this, that anyone who has created a problem should face justice."
In a May 2008 grand-jury appearance, Jones said that while he was working for the House Democratic Campaign Committee in the run-up to that pivotal 2006 election, he and another campaign committee employee worked closely with Eachus out of an office in the Capitol's East Wing.
He said they helped Eachus phone Democratic state representatives to pressure them either to donate to the campaign committee or promise to spend a certain amount on their own races.
"As Todd would often say, he wanted to spend what he called soft dollars, which were government dollars, on public service announcements so that we had to ultimately spend less hard campaign dollars," Jones testified.
Did Jones testify that Eachus directed the use of GOVERNMENT dollars aka OUR MONEY, on public service announcements so they wouldn't have to use campaign donation dollars?????? Todd, care to explain.
From SOP post dated December 5, 2009
In the Standard Speaker article Eachus spokesman Brett Marcy had no comment when asked Thursday whether Eachus has been asked to testify. That is a curious statement given when asked back on July 7, 2009 by the Times Leader the reply was Brett Marcy said Eachus was not among the legislators who testified before the grand jury, nor was he interviewed by any law enforcement officials regarding the Bonusgate case." -- WB Times Leader 7/7/09 according to those great folks at CasablancaPA.com. When the answer is no there is an explanation. Take it from there.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Oh It May Be Warmer Here But The Heat In Harrisburg Is Flaming!!
As the Brett Coptt Bonusgate trial is about to start a defense lawyer decided that loud and profane outbursts would get him top billing on the net...he was right.
By MARK SCOLFORO,Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A defense lawyer in the Pennsylvania legislative corruption trial launched a loud and profane outburst against a state prosecutor in a Dauphin County courtroom Friday, shortly after a daylong pretrial hearing had ended.
Bryan Walk, who represents former House Democratic aide Brett Cott, accused Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Blessington of violating rules for lawyer conduct by encouraging one of Walk's other clients to hire a different lawyer.
Walk said the exchange began when Blessington came up to him and told Walk he should talk to that other client, but it drew attention among the 30 or so people in the courtroom when Walk told him loudly to "get out of my face."
"I don't know who the (expletive) you think you are," Walk said to him. Blessington's only visible reaction was to yawn widely.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the accusation against Blessington was untrue.
"It appears that by attorney Walk's inappropriate outburst that he has an anger management problem," Harley said.
Michael Veon wants to tee-up Bill DeWeese as a witness in his trial which will start this week barring a negative ruling on the admissability of emails by the prosecution.
By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, January 16, 2010
HARRISBURG -- An attorney for former Democratic Whip Mike Veon said Friday he intends to call former House Speaker Bill DeWeese as a witness at Veon's trial and suggested DeWeese was a leading co-conspirator in the legislative bonus scandal.
"If crimes were committed, not only is Mr. DeWeese a co-conspirator, he's the king," said Dan Raynak, Veon's lawyer. Raynak said he didn't know whether DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, would invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.
Guess we won't have to wait for summer to see things heat up in Harrisburg.
By MARK SCOLFORO,Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A defense lawyer in the Pennsylvania legislative corruption trial launched a loud and profane outburst against a state prosecutor in a Dauphin County courtroom Friday, shortly after a daylong pretrial hearing had ended.
Bryan Walk, who represents former House Democratic aide Brett Cott, accused Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Blessington of violating rules for lawyer conduct by encouraging one of Walk's other clients to hire a different lawyer.
Walk said the exchange began when Blessington came up to him and told Walk he should talk to that other client, but it drew attention among the 30 or so people in the courtroom when Walk told him loudly to "get out of my face."
"I don't know who the (expletive) you think you are," Walk said to him. Blessington's only visible reaction was to yawn widely.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the accusation against Blessington was untrue.
"It appears that by attorney Walk's inappropriate outburst that he has an anger management problem," Harley said.
Michael Veon wants to tee-up Bill DeWeese as a witness in his trial which will start this week barring a negative ruling on the admissability of emails by the prosecution.
By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, January 16, 2010
HARRISBURG -- An attorney for former Democratic Whip Mike Veon said Friday he intends to call former House Speaker Bill DeWeese as a witness at Veon's trial and suggested DeWeese was a leading co-conspirator in the legislative bonus scandal.
"If crimes were committed, not only is Mr. DeWeese a co-conspirator, he's the king," said Dan Raynak, Veon's lawyer. Raynak said he didn't know whether DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, would invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.
Guess we won't have to wait for summer to see things heat up in Harrisburg.
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