Bush's new lawyer harbors secretive, criminal past

[rawstory]

EXCLUSIVE REPORT
Bush's lawyer harbors secretive, criminal past
http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/jim_sharp_bush_lawyer_secrecy.htm

By John Byrne
RAW STORY EDITOR

The cult of secrecy surrounding President Bush’s newly retained lawyer in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case is so strong that the White House refuses even to confirm who the president’s lawyer is. White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters that the lawyer’s name was Jim Sharp, but refused even to confirm whether he is James E. Sharp, a Washington attorney.

But the smokescreen around Sharp goes far deeper than that, and perhaps for good reason. The only other president to hire a private attorney, Richard Nixon, eventually resigned from office.

Sharp long has cloaked himself in secrecy, even taking the unusual move of paying to have his address and telephone number removed from the major Martindale legal directory. He was an assistant district attorney before he came to Washington and has a history of taking on cases with political implications.

Sharp’s highest profile client was Maj. Gen. Richard V. Secord, a major figure in the Iran-Contra scandal who helped Lt. Col. Oliver North accumulate untaxed wealth in overseas accounts.

Far lesser known, however, is a 1994 finding by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he engaged in “unethical and criminal activity” for pressuring a witness to commit perjury. The charge was leveled by one of Sharp’s witnesses when he represented his self-avowed “good friend” Joe Harry Pegg against a charge of conspiring to import marijuana in 1988 and 1989.

In 1994, when the case was being heard on appeal, the lawyer for one of Pegg’s co-conspirators contacted the prosecuting attorney, Cynthia Collazo, saying that Sharp might have had “privileged conversations” that might cause Sharp to have a conflict of interest in representing Pegg.

<snip>

“The district court found and the government does not deny that Sharp labored under an actual conflict of interest created by co-conspirator Baxter's allegations that Sharp had engaged in unethical and criminal activity in connection with his representation of Pegg,” the transcript asserts.

Some speculate that he might also have been the Jim Sharp who served as an attorney to Jeb Magruder, a player in the Watergate scandal. It’s possible, since James E. Sharp, born in 1940, would have been 33 at the time.

Full story: http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/jim_sharp_bush_lawyer_secrecy.htm

[Justice]

1. I look for him in Martindale

as soon as I saw his name - he was not there, but obviously I didn't realize he had removed himself.

Very interesting.

[Gothmog]

14. I had looked also

The fact that he paid to remove himself from Martindale is very interesting.

[Walt Starr]

2. I'd say he's a bit too squeaky clean

for the thugs currently occupying our white house.

[boobooday]

3. Another Iran-Contra scumbag

Why am I not surprised?

First criteria for alliance with Bush: PURE EVIL.

And what about Cheney? He has hired a lawyer too -- they're probably cuddled up in his bunker right now . . .



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[rawstory]

21. Well

He was just his lawyer. Though curious the connection between Iran-Contra and Watergate. And Bush. Too bad he wasn't in on Whitewater!

[Shakespeare]

4. Nixon is NOT the only president to hire a private attorney.

Bill Clinton's private attorney during the Paula Jones nonsense was Robert Bennett.

[rawstory]

5. He wasn't actually hired

Consulting vs. hiring -- that's the distinction.

[rawstory]

6. But if you have evidence to the contrary...

Let me know...

[geek tragedy]

9. Remember the "Clinton Legal Defense Fund?"

One would gather that the millions gathered didn't all go to overhead and court fees.

[Mithras61]

11. I suspect that the writer

meant "hired a lawyer to defend the President for acts commited while President" not "ever hired a private attorney"

[rawstory]

13. Thanks -- I did

Made changes to the article to indicate as such.

[geek tragedy]

16. Ah, that makes much more sense.

Bush is a damn crook, however one slices it.:toast:

[lancdem]

10. He also hired David Kendall for the Whitewater fiasco

[Tellurian]

24. My fave of WJC's attorneys was Charles Ruff. God, the guy was brilliant!

RIP

CR

[izzie]

7. Odd. You would think even Bush would know better. Think this----

some one runs what Bush is doing. They hired this lawyer.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Whatta story! A man who endorses him is Joseph DiGenova, too......

Who doesn't remember THIS guy, and his wife, Victoria Toensing?

From your article:

Joseph E. diGenova, a former U.S. attorney who worked with Sharp as a young prosecutor, told the Washington Post that Sharp is known for his litigation skills.

He’s “a brilliant tactician who is very persuasive” he said, and “folksy like a fox.”

I'm sure almost EVERY Democrat is interested in this new guy, and what this means.

Thanks a lot, rawstory!

[SpiralHawk]

19. Oooo - he looks like Gomez from the Adams Family TV show

At his most oily and unctuous.

Separated at birth?

[leftchick]

22. you are right except that joe is....

a fat-ass gomez. He looks like a freakin stuffed sausage in his too tight sharkskin suits.

[underpants]

12. Well he won't have to "pressure" this client to lie

He can (and often does) do that in his sleep.

[Turbineguy]

15. If the guy's a crook

he and Bush should get along like a house on fire!

[Aidoneus]

17. well then, he'll fit in just fine

:shrug:

[rawstory]

20. As re: all lawyers are crooks

Someone posed me the argument that 'all lawyers are crooks,' and even if they are more likely to engage in say, unethical behavior, I don't think you'll find all lawyers are cited a court for 'unethical and criminal behavior.'

[radwriter0555]

18. known by the company you keep. crooks hang with crooks, since HONORABLE

men won't do business with them.

[Tellurian]

23. What appears strange to me is, Cheney seems to be hanging Bush out to dry

Cheney's speeches (his Fla speech, his latest example)
ring hollow, consisting of tired old rhetoric just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Cheney seems to be looking out for himself, and it appears he has dumped Bush into the abyss.

[ElementaryPenguin]

25. Evil Busheviks not on the same page as the Bushtapo anymore, that's for su

Very strange!

:shrug:

[Mithras61]

26. The Dick is living in a time warp...

He's still screaming about how Saddam Hussein has Al Quaeda ties and is a sponsor of terrorism...

[rawstory]

27. Unbelievable.

He must have missed Rove's memo -- or maybe he's the one calling the shots?

[Tellurian]

30. Yes, that is the strange part...

no pronouncements of the future coming from Cheney.
just the appearance of looking busy and feigning support.

Poppy must have dropped kicked Cheney and is using Condi-
and Rove in tandem for steering the ship. Meaning, Cheney
is out to save himself and will maneuver to sacrifice the pawn
if it will get him out unscathed.

The only refuge left for Cheney is a favorable court decision.

[rawstory]

31. Cheney's court case

I think the justices have a good chance of leaning against him. They don't really enjoy having their power questioned -- the president's 'property' never really seems to be his -- Read: Watergate...

[Solly Mack]

28. from the NYtimes archives

NATIONAL DESK | June 5, 2004, Saturday
A Top Lawyer Who Kept Out of the Limelight, Until Now

By MICHAEL JANOFSKY (NYT) 952 words
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00811FA3B550C768CDDAF0894DC404482


Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 11 , Column 1
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 952 WORDS - James E. Sharp, the lawyer President Bush intends to hire if he is questioned in the case involving the disclosure of a C.I.A. officer's identity, may be one of the best lawyers in Washington the public has never heard ... He is also a contributor to several Democrats, including John...



Correction: June 10, 2004, Thursday

An article on Saturday about James E. Sharp, the lawyer President Bush intends to hire if he is questioned in the case involving the disclosure of a C.I.A. officer's identity, misidentified the victim of a murder in which a client of Mr. Sharp was acquitted. The client, Gen. Fabian C. Ver of the Philippines, had been accused in the death of Benigno S. Aquino Jr., the nation's opposition leader, not President Ferdinand E. Marcos.




http://home1.gte.net/jqueue/history/history.html

August 21, 1983 - Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., a staunch Marcos critic,
went home to the Philippines from his exile in the United
States. He was assassinated by a military escort sent by
Marcos to arrest him upon arrival at the Manila
International Airport. The assassination dramatically
increased opposition to Marcos' rule and his mandate was
called into question.
February 1985 - General Fabian Ver and 24 other soldiers were tried by a special court composed of what the
opposition groups called "Marcos loyalists" for the murder of Benigno Aquino. Ver and his soldiers
were acquitted.
February 7, 1986 - A "snap" presidential election, proposed by President Marcos himself was held. Corazon Aquino,
wife of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., became Marcos' rival candidate. Aquino won a clear
majority of the votes with backing of the people. However, Marcos had the National Assembly
declare himself winner in the election.

Ver fled to Hawaii

http://legal.apt.ch/MECHANISMS/International_Justice/Universal%20Jurisdiction/USA/us-ca%20marcos%20jurisdiction.htm

another link on Ver:
http://www.inq7.net/nat/2003/aug/15/nat_11-1.htm

[Solly Mack]

29. Aquino /Ver/James Sharp/Iran-Contra

Ok..so Ver is tried for killing Aquino. James Sharp represents Ver who is aquiited in first trial. Ver flees to Hawaii..


Ver/IranContra link
Perhaps the bizarrest twist of them all: The armed services chief in the Phillipines under Marcos was General Fabian Ver. Ver was implicated in the shooting of Benigno Aquino, among other crimes. Apparently, Ver also signed false certificates to the effect that the arms sent to Iran really were sent to the Phillipines. The reason cited for the false documents is that they were intended to keep George Shultz unaware of the real destination for the weapons.



edit for link: http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/text/reagan.html

[Judi Lynn]

32. Some of us who don't know much about Iran/Contra will LOVE this link

It's just tremendous for anyone, I speak personally, who was overstretched during Reagan years and didn't learn a lot about what Iran/Contra really was.

Thanks too much!

[gandalf]

33. It seems unusual to hire such a kind of lawyer

Take, as an example, the trial against Josef Ackerman, CEO of Deutsche Bank, and some ex-Vodafone managers. They hired some of the most prestigious and very well known German attorneys.

The same is true for Helmut Kohl, former German chancellor, who had legal troubles due to dubious campaign money.

In both cases well-known lawyers were hired. So it seems somewhat interesting that the President consults a mysterious, unknown shyster.

[trogdor]

34. I always wondered what happened to this guy:

Lionel Hutz, law talking guy.