This is a face-to-face conversation, and it was a long one. The transcript of this conversation has a very glaring omission. According to one of the FBI affidavits, Balducci in this conversation says “… the only person in the world outside of me and you that has discussed this is me and Dick.” Baldduci further stated that “they ain’t… but three people in the world that have had this conversation… and two of them are in this room.” Balducci went on to say that the only other person that’s not in the room is Scruggs and that “he and I, um, how shall I say, over the last five or six years there are bodies buried that, that you know, that that he and I know where… where are and and my, my trust in his, mine and him and his and mine and me I’m sure are the same.”
So what’s left? Well, the available transcript starts off at page 31 (!!) and goes through page 34 with no “end of transcript” indicator, so it seems we are missing stuff at the beginning and end.
They’re talking about the Jones, Funderburg v. Scruggs case.
Balducci: Anyway, Johnny [Jones] has always had a real inflated idea about this own value and worth and his pride in authorship of writings and things like that.
Lackey: How, uh, I’ve never met him that I know of.
Balducci: See, I’ve worked with him on, when we were defendin’ Scruggs in that Bob Wilson case.
Lackey: I’m not a…
Balducci: When, when Wilson sued Scruggs about a year ago. [A YEAR AGO??. the suit went from 1994-2006]
Lackey: … I’m not acquainted
Balducci: Well, and the only reason that Johnny was in that was because for a while, that case was in front of Judge Lee and Johnny used to clerk for Judge Lee. … And so… Johnny has always kinda made himself out to be this philosophical researcher and writer kind of guy and Dick thought at the time, well, it’s in front of Lee, he used to write opinions for Lee you know, Lee knows and respects this. I’ll get him to write, do our briefing and stuff in front of Lee…
At which point Balducci goes on and on about how Jones was hired just because of the connection with Lee, and then the SKG says “at the end of the day… Johnny… you’re entitled to X percentage, he just went off the reservation. He said no, hell no….then he started all this businessa bout suin’ under the agreement… but the agreement is prestty sure it ought to be arbitrated.” Lackey agrees it is clear. Balducci says that arbitration is “their best case scenario” and “a ome run for them.” Lackey says “They in other words blessed it?” and that he wants to be certain Balducci gets credit.
Baldduci: Thank you. Um, my, my relsationship with Dick is such that he and I can talk very privately about these kind of matters and I have the fullest confidence that if the court you know is inclined to rule in favor, everything will be good.
They go back and forth, and Lackey says: “is, uh Barrett,” and Balducci says, “Barrett knows nothing about my…” and the transcript stops incomplete.
