Former Prosecutor Says Departure Was Pressured: "Impact Was To Intimidate My Office" (NYT)

March 6, 2007
Former Prosecutor Says Departure Was Pressured
By ERIC LICHTBLAU

The former federal prosecutor in Maryland said Monday that he was forced out in early 2005 because of political pressure stemming from public corruption investigations involving associates of the state’s governor, a Republican.

"There was direct pressure not to pursue these investigations," said the former prosecutor, Thomas M. DiBiagio. "The practical impact was to intimidate my office and shut down the investigations."

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The former prosecutor said he was particularly troubled by one visit in June 2004 in which, he said, a lawyer allied with the governor said the gambling inquiries were disrupting legislative consideration of the slots question and should be shut down.

Mr. DiBiagio said the lawyer inquired about his political future, asked whether he was interested in being a judge and suggested that his life could be closely scrutinized.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06prosecutor.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

"Mr. DiBiagio said the lawyer inquired about his political future, asked whether he was interested in being a judge and suggested that his life could be closely scrutinized."

"His life could be closely scrutinized"? Sounds like a threat to me. Maybe it was intended as blackmail. Isn't that illegal? Is there illegal or immoral tactic that is bad enough that the GOP will not use it?