At a recess in the hearing yesterday, Mike Moore spoke to the Daily Journal’s Patsy Brumfeld. As reported in her story late yesterday, he was answering Judge Lackey’s statement that an assistant district attorney in this circuit district who had worked for Jim Hood recommended against going to Jim Hood. Here’s the key part of her story:
The judge said he couldn’t take the problem to the state attorney general’s office because he had heard that Dickie Scruggs used Moore, former state Auditor Steven Patterson and former New Albany attorney Timothy Balducci to threaten Attorney General Jim Hood to settle State Farm Katrina-related insurance cases to allow the Scruggs Katrina Group to collect its legal fees.
Otherwise, he said, Scruggs would find a candidate to run against Hood for re-election “just like they would for Commissioner of Insurance.”
Lackey said he heard that from Assistant District Attorney Lon Stallings.
During a break in the hearing, Moore spoke with the Daily Journal about what Lackey had said.
“Judge Lackey either is very confused or he made up the story out of whole cloth,” Moore said.
“Jim Hood is a very, very close friend – he worked for me, supported me in my first campaign. I encouraged him to take my place.”
Moore, who represents Scruggs’ son Zach on his criminal charges in the Lackey bribery attempt, said he had an investigator interview Stallings and he made no mention of the conversation with Lackey.
“On the contrary, he told Lackey to call the AG’s office,” Moore added.
He also showed the Daily Journal a text message he had just received from Stallings, which confirmed the story.
Was Moore surprised to hear Lackey’s accusations from the stand Tuesday morning?
“Sure, I was appalled,” he said.
Moore also noted he, as attorney general, had removed Patterson from office as state auditor and prosecuted him.
“I of all people would not have anything to do with Steve Patterson,” he noted.
Moore had prosecuted Patterson leading to his resignation as auditor. I didn’t understand Judge Lackey’s testimony to imply that Moore worked together with Patterson, but rather that Patterson and Balducci delivered the same message to Hood.
h/t to Ya’ll Politics for noticing this later version of the story.
Update:
There’s been mention here, on Rossmiller, and Ya’llPolitics of a blog post by Roger Parloff. Parloff wrote the Forbes article “The Siege of State Farm,” and he’s added a “greatest outtakes” blog post from with some interesting stuff he had to omit from his story for space reasons. Lotus mentioned it earlier. The most interesting part is about Moore, whose “multifaceted role in the siege of State Farm is one of the most eye-popping, because it is impossible to say with certainty precisely who he was representing much of the time. He seems to have taken the view that what was good for Scruggs’ private clients was good for Mississippi, and he flitted from representing one to the other without giving the matter much thought.” The good stuff is in the last half of the post, and it is well worth reading, although because it’s based on the affidavit Moore made in withdrawing from the McIntosh case, it will be fairly familiar to regular readers of this blog.
MPB says Sandra Knispel’s next report is up at 7:35.
Lotus: is there a link?
Mike: Shut the hell up. You’re toast. You expect us to believe that what you and Dickie weren’t capable of doing to Hood what you did to Dale? We ain’t buying.
http://www.mpbonline.org/radio/listen_online.htm
Well, good job — except that she too misses the lede. Why are they all ignoring the hottest testimony in the hottest case in recent Mississippi history?
Aw c’mon Mike. Tell us the truth for once about Steve. How you almost destroyed his family to force him to resign. How your prosecution of him was in retaliation for his prosecution of you and Dickie over the state asbestos fee fiasco. How you and Dickie bought your way out of that prosecution with state tobacco money. How Steve got 10 million that went from Scruggs to Langston to PL Blake to Steve. How Steve gets quarterly tobacco payments through Langston. How Steve was in and out of Scruggs’s law office so often that he seemed to be an employee there and that was after your so called prosecution.
Justsittinhere//Don’t stop, tell us Moore..These people know where the POT Of Gold Is.
I’ll try to get some documents to Lotus and let her decide what happened and tell all.
Just//We knew there was a great connection between Patterson/PL Blake..Anderson and Sears..Does Patterson get their Tobacco Money each month with PL Blakes’ name on the Check..Rumor had it, Patterson was blamed by Joey Langston for JL’s problem.
Mo’ documents, yum — email addy at top right, Jsh!
Mornin’, mag.
Lets see here — on the one hand we have Judge Lackey’s honesty and integrity, and on the other we have Moore’s. I’ll choose Lackey.
It will be interesting to see if any attorneys wish to affiliate with Micky Moore after this is said and done. Talk about a career killer!
It never ceases to amaze me that MM just can’t keep his mouth shut. He courts the press in order to grandstand. I think he does his clients a huge disservice by ALWAYS having a comment. Why insult Judge Lackey? How does that help anyone at this point?
I think it’s an example of getting lost in the forest of one’s own mythology Sailor 12.
Yeah, between Judge Lackey and Moore, I believe Lackey. Don’t know where Stallings fits in, but I’m still going to come down on Judge Lackey’s side.
Mike sent an investigator to talk to Stallings? Who was the investigator, PL Blake?
I don’t think it’s necessarily a case of believing a Lackey OR Moore. I can imagine a scenario where Moore just honestly appraises the situation in Hood’s presence, that yeah, Dickie’ll probably field some candidate against you, cause that’s how Dickie does things, without it necessarily being a threat. And I can see how that story could have reached Lackey characterized as a threat or Lackey interpretting it as such.
The problem with that duckweed is Moore’s reference to Lon Stallings– somebody has it wrong about whether Stallings said to go to Hood or not.
Lon is probably pretty torqued by the situation this puts him in between the head law enforcement officer in the state and one of the three judges he appears before, with both being from almost the same place Lon is from.
Blows my mind that anyone like Moore who is as complicite with all of the rogues in this debacle would be even be in the same town much less seen at the courthouse and in the courtroom yesterday.
Talking about seeking out and looking for trouble to land at your very own doorstep. The man must be borderline delusional.
I can imagine a scenario where Moore just honestly appraises the situation in Hood’s presence, that yeah, Dickie’ll probably field some candidate against you, cause that’s how Dickie does things, without it necessarily being a threat.
Duckweed, that is just how I would expect Moore to spin it, but excuse me: how is an “honest appraisal” like that *not* a threat, coming from Mike Moore?
Hood doesn’t know that Moore and Scruggs are like Chang and Eng?
Judge Lackey may *be* mistaken; he may have heard rumors that originated with Scruggs’s sending Balducci and Patterson to lean on Hood, and in the retelling Moore’s name slipped in there.
Although, as already noted elsewhere, Moore’s remarks certainly did not include a blanket denial that he ever discussed the subject with Hood.
I see NMC. I missed most of yesterday and am reading fast trying to catch up. I’d like to see the actual text of those text messages.
Judge Lackey did not isolate himself with what he had hoped he had not actually heard, but called another Judge immediately to relay the conversation. These conspiritors thought they really knew Judge Lackey, but they really didnot know him at all, thats why Moore was in the court room yesterday, he had know idea who Judge Lackey was. But today I believe he has a clue.
When you think about it, it’s a wonder that all this didn’t leak out in some way and get back to Balducci, Scruggs and the rest. A LOT of people knew about what was going down if you read Judge’s testimony in full.
There are a lot of honest people who kept their mouths shut exactly when they should have–Lackey, Howorth, Stallings, Smith, Delaney, Greenlee and the other AUSA’s plus others I am sure.
If Moore is in fact a ‘publicity-seeker,’ he may now be in for mooooore than he bargained !
I don’t think Judge Lackey would say in testimony in open court what he said Lon Stallings related to him unless it actually happened. I think it highly probable that Lon Stallings has verified this to the prosecutors/investigators quite some time ago.
Balducci verified this much later after he was popped.
Lotus
A newer story on this
“No, Mike Moore never approached me with such a message,” Hood said Tuesday in a statement. “Judge Lackey was right to turn the case over to the federal government which has the wiretap authority that the state lacks.”
Scruggs pleaded guilty March 14 to conspiring to bribe Lackey in an unrelated case. Lackey testified he never informed Hood’s office about the bribery attempt because he was told that Hood had been approached by Moore on Scruggs’ behalf. Instead, Lackey went to the FBI.
Moore said Wednesday that there’s no truth to Lackey’s claim.
“That’s the biggest bunch of bull I’ve ever heard,” Moore said. “He may have gotten confused.”
Moore said he worked as an unpaid “facilitator between all the parties” in the legal battles that followed Hurricane Katrina, which hit the coast in August 2005. Moore said he did advise Hood, but never pressured him to do anything on behalf on Scruggs.
http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/495500.html
What I don’t understand is why Common Cause, or some other organization advocating campaign public financing hasn’t seen the magnificent opportunity here and placed ads recruiting membership here on folo.
The article @25 quotes Mike Moore quoting Stallings. Isn’t that called “hearsay.” Just let Stallings give the quote himself and Mike just get out of it entirely. Stallings is a big boy and I’m sure is capable of weathering the storm he’s now in if it’s a simple miscommunication.
Different versions of the same conversation is the basis for the whole bribery case and ensuing conviction.
However, given Judge Lackey’s statements in open court vs Lon Stallings being quoted by Mike Moore…I’m closer to betting on Lackey’s version since he was the only one actually under oath and Lackey has nothing to gain by stating anything other than what he knows as the truth. Now with Moore and Hood, and perhaps even Stallings given the circumstances, would perhaps have a need for a little more sanitized memory. But I bet all three can most certainly find a venue to be quoted “under oath” if they so choose in order to clear up the “bull” being tossed around.
So, Mike Moore has a text message from Stallings contradicting Lackey’s sworn testimony; well, I have a text message from the Pope inviting me to dinner in Washington. Should I go?
*does the excited dance*
All I can say is read the Eagle tomorrow.
I’m thinking any discrepancy between Judge Lackey’s recollection and Lon Stallings’ recollection of a private, unrecorded, confidential, conversation from more than a year ago is a red herring. Memories fade and one person may remember an event differently than another person.
I’m wondering if Judge Lackey kept a day planner, a diary day by day on what was said to him and who he called and discussed it with. I’m thinking he did, very organized, because he was so affected by what had happened to him, and was mad as hell about it.
Lydia
You’re mean
Judge Lackey kept detailed notes about this and other matters. He referred to them in the courtroom, which meant the lawyers got to see them. Because they had personal notations about other things and people, they were not made exhibits and are not released to the public. But he used those notes in testifying.
IMHO, Judge Lackey was greatly underestimated by Scruggs’ lawyers and advisor’s yesterday. Dickie Scruggs’ had rather of been tortured than have a sitting Mississippi Judge refer to him as a Monster, which will be his Legacy now replacing Tort King.
Bingo! to mag 34, ducky 26, and Seacrest 32.
Lydjah, be careful or I’ll send Kate and Ripple to whine and scratch at your door. (Well, Kate’ll sit and watch Ripple do enough for ‘em both, is how it actually works.)
this kinda interesting – former Baseball Comish Fay Vincent on Dickie
I met Dickie Scruggs only once when he came to see me in Connecticut to solicit my support for a new line of business he was exploring. He wanted to be hired by corporations that were defendants in major shareholder suits because, he believed, as a former colleague of the lawyers for the plaintiff shareholders, he would be in a good position to work out settlements on terms that would be attractive to the corporations.
Nothing came of the effort, but I remember him as a charming, self-assured and very courteous man with obvious confidence in his abilities. Now he stands in total disgrace after a sordid attempt to bribe a state court judge to issue a favorable decision in a case involving a dispute between Dickie and a fellow lawyer over the division of fees.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/apr/04/fay-vincent-clemens-scruggs-priest-show-honor-and-/
Sorry guys. I meant to post more but I got a call shortly after that my son wrecked my car. He rolled over and landed in a ravine. He’s OK. Shook up and banged up but nothing serious. Car is toast though. So not sure what my next few days will be like.
Anyway, the long and short is, I talked to Lon. He said Lackey was truthful, although a few details were off and that he NEVER text Moore and doesn’t even know how to text message and was very hurt reading the reports this morning. He was very open and said friendships will be broken over all this.
I will have it done in the AM and will send it over as soon as it goes to press.
Lydia, hope your son is okay.
Now to the point….
Imagine that….Mikey wasn’t telling the truth about a lil ole fact like Stallings text messaging him. I’m personally shocked…..NOT ! ! !
And as for Stallings commenting on “friendships will be broken over this.” Uhhhhhhh “Family before Friends” is the pecking order I beleive. Mike and Dickie will throw a lot more people under the proverbial bus before this lil goat roping is over. Rememer Dickie’s famous quote, “God didn’t give me all this money to settle.” http://tinyurl.com/4zbrv5
I’m betting that includes settling old (and new) scores as well. Now that Dickie’s license isn’t on the line…no telling what kind of mischief he can bankroll now with Mikey as the front man. And ole Mikey’s certainly gonna need Dickie’s largesse cuz decent folks will now see him for the snake oil salesman he’s been all along and shun him like a leaking leper at a sorority ball.
Oh Lydia. I’m so glad your son is OK and my, it’s just a parents biggest fear. Shoo and hope all goes well the next few days.
if I am reading LLaw right – LLaw just got the scoop of the year.
shaveswithaoccamsrazor
I think this is devastating to both Scruggs and Moore and suggests an almost desperate meltdown on their parts.
MMoore has resorted to outright lying about lying! He makes up a pathetic story “out of whole cloth” to accuse Lakey of making up a story “out of whole cloth”?
I think they are loosing it and still haven’t come to terms that they are on the other side and no longer in control.
They’ve been in control for a long, long time.
So, I’m not a techology person. Is there any way for somebody to subpoena Moore’s cell phone records and tell where the message came from? It would be interesting to know who sent it if it was not Stallings.