WASHINGTON, DC -- Today National Legal and Policy Center Chairman Ken Boehm issued the following statement regarding President Bush's decision to replace U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Mary Jo White:
"Mary Jo White's impending exit may be very bad news for the AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka. By all accounts Trumka should have been indicted long ago for his role in the money-laundering scandal that brought down former Teamsters boss Ron Carey and his campaign team. It appears Trumka has greatly benefited from a very generous douse of prosecutorial discretion from White, a Clinton appointee.
White's record in the Teamsters' case is poor. After a quick round of guilty pleas in 1997, the probe has dragged terribly. As a result, White's replacement will be up against the clock. The five-year statute of limitations in the case is set to expire this year.
Despite Trumka twice invoking the Fifth Amendment to avoid federal investigators' questions, the case against him is strong. According to court records, Trumka helped launder $150,000 from the Teamsters' treasury through the AFL-CIO for the benefit of the Carey campaign. Reportedly, Trumka also wrongfully solicited and/or contributed $50,000 to the Carey campaign.
White's prosecution of ex-Teamsters official William Hamilton was extremely damning for Trumka. For example, it revealed that one of the key meetings that helped facilitate the $150,000 transaction allegedly took place in Trumka's AFL-CIO office with him present. Yet, White and the Department of Justice have failed to indict Trumka.
President Bush should be commended for replacing White. The time
to hold Trumka accountable is now -- before any statutes of limitations
in the case run. I am hopeful that President Bush's new appointee will
bring Trumka to justice before it is too late."
- The National Legal and Policy Center
is a union corruption watchdog group.
It publishes the Union Corruption Update
newsletter. In September 2000, it filed a bar
complaint with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania seeking the disbarment
of Richard Trumka for his apparent misconduct in the Teamsters scandal.