Green reads Bledsoe, Part Two.

Interesting to see how the Brian James story plays out.

Green quotes Mitch Johnson on one of the key points about which Wray is alleged to have been less than truthful to his bosses:

"If you put Ed Kitchen and I [sic] together in a room on July 10, 2005, we would have told you that James Hinson is the focus of a multi-jurisdictional, international investigation, that he's involved in narcotics trafficking and possibly the disappearance of another person, but that we couldn't act because we would compromise the investigation, and - this is the chief's words - 'that would have tipped off the suspects.' I was telling people that this was about much more than a tracker.

"You could have pushed me over with a feather when I learned that the OCDETF [organized crime drug enforcement task force] investigation was largely terminated with the arrest of Turnbull in 2002.... The tracker incident was in '05. The killer of it was that Walton [the internal affairs officer] did an investigation about it looking at work by special intelligence and said he didn't even have to talk to Hinson about it."

He added, "The absolute fact of the matter is that at the time the tracker was put on the car the question was whether or not he was reporting his timecard accurately and whether he had an inappropriate person in the car."

I think the influence and general awfulness of the Simkins PAC is much overrated, but Green's protestation of its complete lack of relevance in the 2005 election is undercut by the fact that Vaughan lost after the PAC withheld its endorsement.

Lots more to chew on in the piece.

Discussion of Part One here (send links to other comment threads if you've please).

Comments

[Jim Rosenberg]

I understand the Thrifty Nickel is planning to deconstruct Green's reading of Bledsoe.

[Spag]

"You could have pushed me over with a feather when I learned that the OCDETF [organized crime drug enforcement task force] investigation was largely terminated with the arrest of Turnbull in 2002...."

Really? Is that why the U.S. Attorney's office was upset in 2006 when the information about this investigation was made public in the Rhino because it could compromise pending matters?

This is the biggest problem with Mitch's theory about being lied to, and always has been. The fact is that the U.S. Attorney WAS still concerned about matters being compromised by the release of information well after 2002 and even after Wray was forced out.

[Ed Cone]

Sam, do you think there is reason to believe that in the summer of 2005 "James Hinson [was] the focus of a multi-jurisdictional, international investigation... involved in narcotics trafficking and possibly the disappearance of another person," as Johnson says he was led to believe, or do you believe "that at the time the tracker was put on the car the question was whether or not he was reporting his timecard accurately and whether he had an inappropriate person in the car"?

[Spag]

Did Wray ever use the word "focus"? As for the tracker, I don't believe that last point was ever disputed. They aren't mutually exclusive.

[Jim Rosenberg]

All of this will be cleared up by the Harmon Homes analysis of Joe Guarino's Bledsoe excerpts.

[Ed Cone]

Johnson is quoted as saying that he and Ed Kitchen were led by Wray to believe "Hinson [was] the focus of a multi-jurisdictional, international investigation... involved in narcotics trafficking and possibly the disappearance of another person."

Interesting to see if anyone disputes that account.

[Spag]

I believe that is the first time I have heard the word "focus" used. I agree it will be interesting to see how/if that is responded to. One word can make a huge difference.

[Alan Cone Bulluck]

I didn't know anyone read Yes! Weekly. What is it?