Ben Tribbett at Not Larry Sabato has an interesting discussion on a disturbing possible trend among some elements of Northern Virginia Republicans: responding to political challenges with criminal charges.
Are some NoVA Republicans doing what Dems have been trying for decades: criminalizing policy differences?
3 comments:
Here's the problem with this comparison:
(1) Rothfeld (conservative pre-VCAP) goes against Chichester, gets sued. How does it figure that Britton goes conservative and comes after Tate on behalf of VCAP???
(2) Tate got indicted on 11 counts... Rothfeld pled guilty... Hill plea bargained...
Bottom line is, Britton does his homework, and he hasn't been off the reservation on any of these. Moreover, he hasn't been a "hitman" for moderates or conservatives. He just happens to have found a niche as a CA who does cases where politics is involved.
Why the fuss?
I don't know if it's ideological. I do know that there seems to be a great deal of nitpicking (some that you won't even hear about, probably) and I don't think its healthy.
11 counts isn't nitpicking though... and it's not like Tate hasn't had run-ins with financial troubles in the past.
All I suggest is that it seems rather odd that a prosecutor decidedly aligned with John Chichester would be helping a VCAP candidate.
I'd entirely agree on the nitpicking aspect, if this were indeed nitpicking. I don't see 11 indictments as nitpicky, though.
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