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Lawyer to the rich and indicted Richard Sprague defended Vince Fumo on the 139 various counts he was charged with, yesterday. I was kind of hoping Sprague would have Fumo get up there and read the “Honest Graft” speech and then walk out knocking reporters aside with sweeping arm gestures.
Unfortunately, Sprague didn’t even let Fumo talk. But he did give a fun, 75-minute press conference of his own. Among the highlights:
- Quoth Sprague: “Ask yourself: What is to prevent someone who is devoted, dedicated to their boss, Vince Fumo, to knock themselves out and, beyond their Senate time, do activities that make his time more efficient and make him more effective as a state senator?”
- Quoth him again: “How do you make headlines as a prosecutor? I know all the tricks of the trade… . When you have a weak case, throw in the kitchen sink. Throw everything you possibly can in the indictment. Maybe something will stick.” Later, Sprague compared the indictment for the Unabomber (8 pages) with that of Fumo (272 pages).
- And once more: “Hopefully, they are… using the FBI to get Osama bin Laden and not Vince Fumo, but what I am saying is that they, from on high, do have a policy of using local U.S. attorneys to try to get effective Democrats.” Vince Fumo, State Senator from Pennsylvania, thorn in the side of the national GOP.
- Sprague said he intended to fight this charge using Queensbury rules. To those of you who aren’t 81-year-olds, Queensbury rules are old-timey boxing rules originally published in 1867.
Sprague accuses U.S. of ‘malice’ [Daily News]
Fumo’s lawyer: Charges political [Inquirer]
Fumo defense: Blame Bush [Metro]
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