Rowland Is Said To Set Up Defense Fund

NYTimes ^ | 1/24/04 | ALISON LEIGH COWAN and STACEY STOWE

[RJCogburn]

Gov. John G. Rowland is establishing a legal defense fund, a person close to the administration said yesterday.

Last fall, Mr. Rowland hired a prominent criminal defense lawyer, William F. Dow III. The Connecticut governor's supporters are now exploring ways for donors to pay some of the expenses of his legal defense.

But the person close to the administration acknowledged that the donations might be scrutinized, given a federal investigation looking into whether the governor received favors from people doing business with the state.

In Hartford, more allegations of illegal state contract awards were raised on Friday when the attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, told legislators that his office had found evidence that the state had paid a contractor $8 million, probably for doing nothing.

Mr. Blumenthal made the announcement during a legislative hearing on reforming the state ethics laws. Asked by a legislator to provide an example that reform was needed, he cited the payment, saying it had included virtually no documentation.

"It's an instance of potential wrongdoing that we're investigating, but only one instance or illustration of the problems we're concerned with uncovering,'' he said.

Mr. Blumenthal said he could not comment further, citing the investigations into contract awards being conducted by his office and the federal government.

The attorney general's office has been conducting a civil investigation into contract awards since March, when Lawrence E. Alibozek, Mr. Rowland's former deputy chief of staff, admitted accepting cash and gold in return for awarding state work.

The reform of state ethics laws and contract awards has gained momentum at the Capitol since Mr. Rowland's Dec. 12 admission that he had accepted free work on his Litchfield cottage from people who did business with the state, including employees of a company that is owned by members of the Tomasso family and is at the center of the federal investigation.

A 10-member committee of legislators was appointed this week by House Speaker Moira K. Lyons to decide whether to impeach Mr. Rowland.

[RJCogburn]

A corrupt pol who should go, yet some defend him simply because of the (R).

Too bad.

[David Isaac]

Many Republicans have this little thing called integrity, which seems to be lacking in all but a very few Dems and even those few were nowhere in evidence when the Clinton mob was in power. They turn a blind eye to very obvious voter fraud and scream bloody murder at totally fabricated fraud.

The fact that many on this forum are unhappy with the President is evidence that many value principles far more than they do the capital letter after anyone's name.

[billorites]

"governor's supporters are now exploring ways for donors to pay some of the expenses"

Isn't this how he got into trouble?

[ml/nj]

defense fund

2004 bribery opportunity fund.

ML/NJ

[FirstPrinciple]

I agree.