Prosecutors of Shields file motion(to prohibit testimony re: Todd Graves/Bradley Scholzman)

[maddezmom]

Source: The Kansas City Star

Prosecutors of Shields file motion
By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star
Federal prosecutors want to keep the political controversy over U.S. attorney firings and resignations out of the upcoming mortgage fraud trial of Katheryn Shields and her husband.

Shields, a Democrat and former Jackson County executive, and her attorney husband, Philip Cardarella, previously have alleged that the criminal case against them is politically motivated.

They were among 11 persons a federal grand jury indicted in January with fraud related to the proposed sale last fall of their Kansas City home. Trial is scheduled for June 4.

In documents filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, prosecutors asked a judge to prohibit defense attorneys from telling jurors anything about the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves or the appointment of his interim successor, Bradley Schlozman, who was in office when the case was filed.

Wednesday’s motion also seeks to prevent the defense from addressing the discharge of other U.S. attorneys in other parts of the country or discussing congressional and news media inquiries into the circumstances surrounding them.



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/102678.html

[wakeme2008]

1. IMHO the USA is probably right in this matter

Either Schlozman has a case against these two or NOT. How he got his job doesn't matter if these people have done a crime.

[jamesinca]

2. The heart of the USA firings is political

Did they go after Democrats or not was a determining factor it appears. If they went after Republicans they were dismissed. These people are Democrats being prosecuted by Republicans from a DOJ that would fire you for going after a Republican or not pursuing Democrats. Even if charges had to be made up, they wanted Democrats pursued.

Scholzman may be making up some BS charge against these people to keep his job, he was one of the replacements for a fired USA. The charges were made right after he came into office, so it is possible that he is doing what he was brought in to do.

Nobody in the DOJ can excape it except Patrick Fitzgerald. If they kept their job, they are dirty. If they are a replacement, they are dirty. Patrick Fitzgerald is probably the least suspicious of them as he was on the list to be terminated, but was in the middle of a case when this whole thing broke.

[Kagemusha]

3. Does go to show that this foolishness has a cost though.

This defense seems to be used in every single high profile case involving a removed US Attorney in the country.

[jamesinca]

4. Yep, the prosecutors are all suspect now

Unlike Tom DeLay, using the partisan defense may be legitimate.

[Kagemusha]

5. Well probably not with that guy Geragos is defending.

Geragos' schtick there is, my guy's a Republican, so the DoJ's prosecuting him for political reasons to cover their butts. (I think.) Like, whatever though..