The Chris Donovan presser -- the first time the 5th
District nominee of the Democratic Party for the US Congress had appeared to answer
media questions concerning the arrest of his former finance chairman – was preceded
by a prelude in which Donovan spokesman Gabe Rosenberg, laid down the ground
rules for the presser.
Mr. Rosenberg read from the following statement:
“I have to take a minute to set some ground rules. This is a
very serious matter, and we have treated it that way. Chris has retained attorney
Shelly Sadin of Bridgeport to represent him, his campaign, and his legislative
office, and she’s here in front.”
Ms. Sadin is a white-collar criminal defense lawyer associated
with the Bridgeport firm of Zeldes Needle & Cooper.
“Chris’ lawyer,” Mr. Rosenberg continued, “has made it
clear that while she recognizes the importance of Chris speaking directly to
the public, he needs to take great care not to do anything that might interfere
with an ongoing federal inquiry.”
A CTMirror report put it this way: “Donovan is under no
legal prohibition to refrain from discussing the case, but his lawyer, Shelley
R. Sadin, is intent on keeping on good terms with the U.S. attorney's office as
Donovan tries to remain a witness, not a target.”
Mr. Rosenberg continued, “This includes speaking publically
about matters that are not public,” a prohibition that seems over-broad. The kind
of orange juice Mr. Donovan drinks in the morning might qualify as a matter
that is not public. But Mr. Rosenberg qualified the qualifier: “That means no
questions about what he told the FBI in a brief and voluntary interview last
week, and what he will share with them as the investigation proceeds.” These restrictions
beg for alternate investigations. Would it have been permitted had a reporter
asked Mr. Donovan in what sense his interview with the FBI was “voluntary?”
The prohibitions having been presented, Mr. Rosenberg went
on to tell the media what the Speaker would, on the advice of his lawyer, be
inclined to share with the media gathered to question him: “Chris can and will
tell you directly what he has already communicated through his staff: that he
did nothing wrong; that he is shocked and disappointed by the allegations
against his former campaign staff; and that he intends to promptly and freely
cooperate with the government, so that it can complete its work,” mostly
matters already covered by other flack catchers, among whom may be numbered Tom Swan, the director of the Connecticut Citizen’s Action Group (CCAG),
an organization once committed to consumer protection that now rents out Mr.
Swan to left of center Democratic politicians seeking office.
Mr. Rosenberg asked for Mr. Donovan the same respect he
media had afforded Republican Party leader Larry Cafero, who was also
questioned by the FBI, and offered a cautionary note: “I will remind you now,
Chris Donovan has not been accused of any wrongdoing.”
Righto! The FBI investigation, details of which Mr. Donovan
has pledged not to reveal, is yet in its early stages. Investigations of this
kind, particularly when they are accompanied by parallel inquiries, tend to bottom
out as people – though not, of course, the lawyer-up Speaker, who does not wish
to compromise the FBI investigation – chatter away. It is perhaps too early to
suppose that one who “has not been accused of wrongdoing” is therefore innocent
of wrongdoing. In the early stages of former Governor John Rowland’s
impeachment, Mr. Rowland was thought by those connected with his campaign to be
innocent of wrongdoing.
“None of us committed to this campaign,” Mr. Rosenberg concluded,
“would be here if we were not convinced of his honesty, his integrity, and his desire
to serve the families of the 5th Congressional District. With that,
here’s Chris Donovan.”
Considering the prohibitions imposed upon Mr. Donovan by Ms.
Sadin, only about ten percent of the candidate for the U.S. Congress stepped
forward to handle the questions posed by a narrowly restricted media.
Even so, some questions bordered on dangerous ground. And
when one or anoher reporter was presumptuous enough to put unwanted questions
to Mr. Donovan, now thoroughly lawyered-up and armor plated, the imprudent queries
were batted away by the vigilant Mr. Rosenberg, who popped up from time to time
to warn a straying reporter that he was violating the ground rules.
The associated Press noted in a report: “Gabe Rosenberg,
Donovan's spokesman, interrupted the news conference several times to say the
speaker will not discuss details of what he may know about the investigation,
including his interview with the FBI.”
A YouTube of the presser may be found here.
UPDATE
Governor Dannel Malloy has softened his view on full
disclosure since Mr. Dovovan’s presser, according to a recent piece in CTMirror:
“Last week Malloy took a harsher stance, demanding that Donovan give "a full explanation of what he knows." But Malloy said Monday he found credible Donovan's assertion Sunday that federal authorities have asked him not to discuss the case in detail.
"’That's not unusual in an investigation at this stage,’ said Malloy, a former prosecutor in New York. ‘It may make his life a little more difficult at this stage to honor that request.’"
Comments
You're most likely right, though you never know: The FBI may have a bunny in its hat.