Convicted Cunningham offers to testify from jail

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday October 19, 2006

A former congressman convicted for bribery is offering to testify from jail, according to Roll Call.

"Former Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) has offered to testify about his activities as a member of the House Intelligence Committee to the panel’s chairman, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), but only if Hoekstra personally travels to the North Carolina federal prison where Cunningham is now serving a sentence for bribery-related charge," John Bresnahan reports.

Excerpts from article:

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Hoekstra turned down the offer to meet with his former colleague, which was outlined in a recent letter from Cunningham to the Michigan Republican. Hoekstra told Cunningham that he wanted a special counsel appointed by the committee, Michael Stern, to conduct any interview with the imprisoned ex-lawmaker.

Cunningham’s lawyer, Lee Blalack, was unaware of the letter that Cunningham sent to Hoekstra until informed by the committee. Blalack has stated repeatedly that Cunningham will refuse to testify before the committee even if subpoenaed by the panel. “I didn’t know [Cunningham] was going to send it or had sent it,” Blalack said.

Blalack declined to comment further on the letter, but both he and Justice Department officials do not want Cunningham to provide evidence to Congressional investigators until the criminal probe of the bribery scandal that brought down the former lawmaker is completed, which is likely to be in 2007 at the earliest.

Sources close to the case say Cunningham’s offer to testify may be rescinded soon.

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FULL ROLL CALL ARTICLE CAN BE READ AT THIS LINK