Fred Thompson Defends Campaign Adviser With Criminal Record

Fox News ^

[Sub-Driver]

Fred Thompson Defends Campaign Adviser With Criminal Record

Sunday , November 04, 2007

Fred Thompson said Sunday that he wishes he had known earlier that one of his key presidential campaign advisers pleaded guilty to drug charges but he still thinks Phil Martin is "a good man."

Martin, a businessman who has lent Thompson his Cessna to fly around the country, is one of four campaign co-chairman for the '08 Republican candidate. The Washington Post reports Sunday that Martin also posted a guilty plea in 1979 for selling 11 pounds of marijuana and a no contest plea in 1983 for cocaine trafficking and conspiracy.

Judgment was withheld on the first plea while Martin served out probation. The 1983 charges, along with a felony bookmaking charge, came while he was still serving that probation. Martin's probation was extended and he served no jail time.

Thompson, who's not the first candidate this year to be linked to a donor with a criminal past, seemed to brush off the news.

"You are talking about something that happened in his life, I guess, 25 years ago ... when he was in his 20s," Thompson said. "I wish I had known about it a little bit earlier. Phil, I am sure, knows that he should have told me about this. That he thought (it) was over and done with and forgotten about I am sure. But of course nothing is ever over and done with and forgotten about in this business."

[Blue Highway]

John Thune, the guy that made Tom Daschle a name I no longer have to read about ever again. God bless him, and continued hope his conservativism will influence many conservatives young and old.

[prairiebreeze]

Now, what I do about it after I talk to him with regard to the future, we will just have to see," Thompson said.

There is this, which had to be left as an alternative considering the circumstances.

daylilly said:

I’m of a mind that if he turned his life around and rehabilitated himself, that should have an impact.

I agree...mostly...as I'm all for giving people a second chance if they mend their ways. However, there is a level of trust that's been bruised. I'm betting Martin is putting in one bad night tonight.

[airborne]

The more I see about this, the more I think it’s a weak attempt by the media to smear Thompson. But I also get the feeling that the MSM is holding back details, and there’s still some information yet to come on this.

Martin was still on probation when he got charged with the cocaine trafficking and felony bookmaking, and all he got was a longer probation sentence. That’s enough to set off alarms with me, and it should with anyone. He must have some very powerful friends to pull strings like that.

And why did this “good friend” endanger Fred by not telling him about these charges? What else is he hiding?

Some have also suggested it’s an attempt to distract from the current “Is Hillary a Lesbian?” story, or the fact that she choked at the last debate.

Fred handled the initial round. We’ll have to wait and see what comes next.

[FlashBack]

It's not to late, everyone else was too early. Fred's support will b one of the many "suprises" that the MSM will have to report once again.


It's also not too late to help out a fellow FReeper...checkout the tagline and take action.