Another Scruggs Case

The Opinion Journal ^ | January 15, 2008 | The Opinion Journal

[libstripper]

The Dickie Scruggs bribery case keeps getting curiouser, with yesterday's news that even the tort baron's former defense attorney has copped a federal plea.

Mr. Scruggs was indicted in November along with his son and three other lawyers for conspiring to bribe Mississippi Judge Henry Lackey. Two of the defendants have already pled guilty and are cooperating with the feds. And according to court papers released yesterday, Joey Langston, who had until recently represented Mr. Scruggs, has now pled guilty to conspiring with Mr. Scruggs in a scheme to influence a different judge in a separate case.

* * *

According to the indictment, sometime in 2006 or early 2007 Mr. Scruggs told Mr. Langston that "he could arrange for [Judge] DeLaughter to be considered for a [federal] appointment" and said Mr. Langston should have that information conveyed to the judge. How Mr. Scruggs was intending to help Judge DeLaughter isn't clear, but it has escaped no one that Mr. Scruggs's brother-in-law is Senator Trent Lott.

[WKB]

I’m too busy chasing Govt paper work from Ca. to Fl.
to do anything else right now.
I think they are conspiring against me.
:>)

[dixiechick2000]

LOL!

Just because you are paranoid doesn’t
mean they aren’t out to get you. ;o)

[SuziQ]

I don't think Trent's resignation had much to do with the Scrugg's case. Trent wasn't a party to any of the lawsuits, and isn't a member of the Scrugg's law firm.

I think Trent realized he needed to get out and make some money. He lost his home in the hurricane, and that was a large part of his net worth. He's going into business with John Breaux, and after next year, he'll be able to do some lobbying. If he'd waited until 2008 to retire, he'd have had to wait two years before doing any lobbying.

[okie01]

According to the indictment, sometime in 2006 or early 2007 Mr. Scruggs told Mr. Langston that "he could arrange for [Judge] DeLaughter to be considered for a [federal] appointment"...

Don't you wonder how Dickie might have arranged this...???

[petitfour]

If Dickie made an attempt to talk Trent into the DeLaughter nomination, it didn’t work. Trent recommended someone else. Dickie has a lot more influence among RAT circles, in case you hadn’t noticed.

[SuziQ]

Do we know whether or not he could actually DO that, or was he just trying to impress Mr. Langston?

[okie01]

We are:

a. Assuming Scruggs had a reason for saying it. That, yes, he actually believed he could effect such an appointment.

b. Speculating that the reason why Scruggs so believed was his relationship with Lott.

There is no proof, as yet, that Lott was involved. However, the timing of his resignation remains very suspicious (and I'm familiar with the lobbying restriction).

I'm not ready to give him a pass on this. Not yet.

[petitfour]

Funny thing. I was trying to remember where I had heard of Bobby DeLaughter before, so I asked hubby. I thought it was from the movie about Medgar Evers’ murder, but my memory was sketchy. I just looked him up, and he graduated from my high school. (some years before me, I must say) I don’t know much about his politics though I read that Fordice appointed him to a judgeship in Hinds County.