Wilkerson vows to stay in race, criticizes US attorney
By Matt Viser, John C. Drake, Michael Levenson, Jonathan Saltzman, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
A defiant State Senator Dianne Wilkerson vowed this afternoon to continue her run for reelection in the face of bribery charges, and she lashed out at US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan's "political calculus" for imperiling her campaign.
In a 222-word statement handed out at her Tremont Street campaign headquarters in Roxbury, Wilkerson urged voters to stick with her after 15 years in office.
"Not only does this represent the biggest challenge in my personal and political life, but it will test to the limit the notion of innocent until proven guilty," Wilkerson said in the statement. "While there is great curiosity about the particulars of my case I am not at liberty to discuss them for obvious reasons. For those of you who must be thinking 'there has to be more to this story,' of course there is. But it is not a story that I am able or willing to lay out in the press."
The Democrat then attacked Sullivan, whose office led an 18-month probe that culminated Tuesday morning in Wilkerson's arrest on charges that she accepted eight bribes worth a combined $23,500.
"From a purely political perspective, it seems a lot of people -- including myself -- have seriously underestimated US Attorney Sullivan's political calculus," she said. "In one fell swoop, and before an indictment had been returned, he sought to imperil my re-election campaign, and has set much of the state's Democratic leadership back on its heels. He brought this issue forward at this time knowing full well that I would never have an opportunity to have my day in court prior to November 4."
Sullivan is a former Republican state legislator and Plymouth County district attorney. At a press conference Tuesday morning, he was asked about the timing of Wilkerson's arrest.
"It's coincidental that this happened one week before the election," Sullivan said, adding that authorities needed to let the covert portion of the investigation run its course to make sure no other lawmakers were implicated.
Sullivan's spokeswoman, Christina DiIorio-Sterling, said this afternoon that he had nothing to say about Wilkerson's accusation.
"All I can tell you is that this remains an ongoing investigation, and we won't comment any further,'' DiIorio-Sterling said.
Wilkerson, 53, is accused of taking the bribes to secure a liquor license and pave the way for a towering Roxbury development. She was released Tuesday after a brief appearance in US District Court late in the afternoon, disappearing into a black sport utility vehicle without responding to questions.
Wilkerson has been hoping to save her Senate seat by winning a write-in campaign against Sonia Chang-Diaz, who defeated her in the Democratic primary in September.
Left behind, though, were indelible images of Wilkerson allegedly accepting cash envelopes and vowing to work with "laser-focused" energy to manipulate powerful figures and the state's political process. A 32-page FBI affidavit laid out in painful detail allegations that Wilkerson took bribes, beginning with $500 over lunch at a Beacon Hill pub packed with political figures to $10,000 secreted inside a leather day planner at a take-out restaurant in her district some 16 months later.
The document reads like a dime-store political thriller: A meeting at posh No. 9 Park, where Wilkerson allegedly tucked 10 $100 bills into her bra; a two-day gambling spree at Foxwoods casino after allegedly accepting a $1,000 kickback at the Fill-A-Buster, a jam-packed shoebox cafe across the street from the State House.
At one point, she allegedly laughed after an undercover agent posing as a developer handed her $10,000 and said, "That's a lot of money." She boasted that she was "arm-twisting" and "knee-cracking" city and state officials.
"I pushed this envelope farther than it's ever been pushed before," Wilkerson, a Democrat, allegedly said in a recorded telephone call with an FBI agent posing as a real estate developer.
The alleged bribes, recorded by a witness cooperating with the FBI and undercover agents posing as businessmen, carry potential penalties of up to 40 years in prison and $250,000 in fines and seem likely to deal a death blow to Wilkerson's political career.
But they also opened a window onto an ugly side of city and state politics, one in which leaders such as Senate President Therese Murray, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and the chairman of the state-appointed Boston Licensing Board, Daniel F. Pokaski, seemed willing to engage in back-room dealing. According to the affidavit, Wilkerson described the public process for issuing liquor licenses in Boston as merely "smoke and mirrors."
"The latest charges brought against Senator Wilkerson rise to a whole new level and significantly tarnish the reputation not only of the Massachusetts Senate, but government as a whole," Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei said in a statement, calling for her resignation.
Wilkerson's reelection campaign appeared to have come to a halt yesterday. Her Roxbury campaign office was closed. She spent the day in the custody of federal officials, then was escorted by marshals into a packed US District Court in Boston shortly after 3 p.m.
The courtroom fell silent as Wilkerson strode in and sat down before Judge Magistrate Timothy Hillman.
She watched stoically as prosecutors said that Wilkerson had $6,000 in cash on her when she was taken into custody and that federal prosecutors will be scouring all of her financial records with an eye toward possible tax evasion prosecution.
Twenty-five minutes later, Hillman released the senator, setting the next court appearance for Nov. 17 and ordering her to avoid contact with witnesses in the case and to post a $50,000 unsecured bond. Wilkerson left through a rear door with a small entourage led by her son, Cornell Mills, pushing cameras away as they walked. They climbed into a black Lincoln Navigator with New York plates and sped off.
"As every defendant, Senator Dianne Wilkerson is entitled to the presumption of innocence," her lawyer, Max D. Stern, said. "There is a context to every one of the interactions you have been told about. There is something that happens before. There is something that happens after that has not been included in what you've been shown. You will learn that when there is a trial."
Wilkerson's arrest sent shock waves through the State House and City Hall and through her district, where she has long been a beloved, if controversial, figure. She had been reelected time and again, despite a 1997 guilty plea for failure to file tax returns, a 1998 probation violation that sent her to a halfway house for 30 days, and a 1998 finding that she had violated campaign finance laws dating back to her first Senate contest in 1992.
Republicans called on her to resign, while Democrats, including Governor Deval Patrick, who had backed her in the September primary, were more cautious.
"Initial reports are both troubling and sad," Patrick said in a statement.
"I am extremely disappointed," said Murray, who stripped Wilkerson of her chairmanship of the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and said she would ask the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate.
The FBI launched its case in early 2007, when someone approached agents and said that Wilkerson "routinely took cash payments from constituents and others with business before the Senate." The person had gone to Wilkerson for help opening a club in December 2006, according to the affidavit. The FBI enlisted the person as a confidential informant and asked the informant to bribe Wilkerson with $500 for help getting a liquor license for the club, called Dejavu.
The identity of the witness who cooperated with the FBI was not clear. Records show that the company that wanted to open Dejavu, Back Bay Entertainment Inc., had two principals, Ivan Serret and Marcos Guererro Jr.
Serret said he never paid cash to anyone and was not the cooperating witness. Guererro could not be reached. A man at Guererro's Revere address who identified himself as Guererro's father said his son had dropped out of the project and moved to the Dominican Republic. A third man involved, Ron Wilborn, said he was not the witness.
Wilkerson is accused of taking the bribe in June 2007 and days later wrote on her Senate stationery to the mayor and the Boston Licensing Board that she was seeking to "secure a license for Dejavu immediately." She wrote to all Boston councilors complaining about the lack of liquor licenses in her district and saying it was an issue of discrimination.
She ultimately held up pay raises for the Boston Licensing Board and held up legislation at the State House designed to save Boston $500,000. All along, she was taking bribes, the FBI said.
Ultimately, FBI agents would pose as out-of-state businessmen interested in developing a parcel of state-owned land in Roxbury that Wilkerson was pushing to have redeveloped. They met with her, often in her State House office, to discuss the deal, then offered her bribes after asking to leave the building to "grab a cup of coffee."
On one occasion, at the Fill-A-Buster, an agent slid her a "white envelope containing $2,000 in cash," according to the affidavit.
"Oh, thank you, " the affidavit alleges she said.
The affidavit also describes an unnamed associate of Wilkerson who told the FBI's undercover agents that there were other politicians who also might need to be bribed: an unidentified state representative who should be paid $5,000, a second who should be paid $1,000, and an unidentified Boston councilor who should be paid $1,000. "Ninety-nine percent of the times, these people would accept or receive these things from a source that they are comfortable with," the associate allegedly said.
In June 2008, the undercover agent gave her bribes of $3,000 and $2,000 for agreeing to craft legislation that would circumvent the public bidding process, according to an affidavit. Later, this month, when she delivered the bill, she was to get the $10,000 bribe.
She had expressed great gratitude for the payoffs, investigators said.
"Believe me, they're very, very, very much appreciated," she said, according to the FBI.
John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com. Jonathan Saltzman can be reached at jsaltzman@ globe.com.
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I'm waiting for the Liberal Spin Machine to start rolling. By the end of the day this whole thing will be George W. Bush's fault.
Everyone should vote for the crook on write-in ballots to highlight what we here in the corrupt Commonwealth have to deal with.
Calls for her to resign ring hollow since she was already voted out.
Let's vote her back in and make the other corrupt pols expell her.
Maybe she'll turn state's evidence and we can clean house (and senate!).
Is this so hard to believe that she has broken the law and is corrupt? This individual has betrayed the public's trust more than once in the last ten years. She is a crook and is morally bankrupt: a complete and utter disgrace.
We all are expected to pay our taxes,and 'play by the rules', yet Ms. Wilkerson has flaunted the law concerning campaign finances, cheated on her taxes, and skirted the tax laws (again!) concerning a not-for-profit organization. Now she has graduated to bribery and corruption.
Would you be so surprised to see that she attempts to use the "race card" in an attempt to defray criticism and potray herself as a victim?
I sincerely hope that the federal authorities seek out the maximum. She has not altered her behavior one iota.
Campaign response suggestions:
"Guilty of taking bribes, but all those project were going to benefit my constituents anyway..."
"Gulity, but at Marion Barry was re-elected after smoking crack... vote for me, pretty please!"
"Guilty, but the timing of the indictment is highly suspect - right before my sticker campaign was about to succeed... Sonia must have bribed the FBI..."
Thank you drugstore Liberals. You should all take a close look at the friends of the disgraced State MA senator Winkerson like GOV. Coupe D. Patrick, Mayor Mumbles, M., Senator nObama, Senator Live-Shot kerry, etc, etc, .
Lets thank all of her supports. Thank you all for the 40+ years of a failed welfare state; tell me, what have we gained with the $Billions spent on (the majority of recipients) of deadbeats that lived off the generocity of others.
This one party rule has gone on for too long; Sen. Wilkerson stands for all that is wrong woth nObama's campaign. nObama's tax plan can be summed up with this : " Take from those that work & give it to those that don't work.
Senator Dianne Wilkerson's campaign is planning to respond this afternoon? I think she needs a damn good lawyer. But having said that, the FBI will undoubtedly be accused of racially motivating this sting. By the way, what ever happened to the black senator in the southeast with 90K in his freezer? Some how the liberals can easily escape press coverage unlike the constant coverage of the great senator from Alaska who should be hung by his ham string. Doing the right thing is what America needs now. Vote McCain/Palin
Jesse Jackson would be pround
No one should be disappointed at Senator Dianne Wilkerson or her long history of corrupt action.
Both are among the principal products of government. Both arise from the notion that it is the right of some to use the power of government for the benefit of others. It is a small and inevitable step for all politicians to abuse the power that has been wrongfully granted to government - sometimes for the benefit of those in their favor, other times for themselves.
If Senator Wilkerson had the kind of wealth most politicians possess, she certainly wouldn't have sold out her "values" for a few thousand dollars.
Instead, she would have exercised her hubris by pushing the favorite elements of her political agenda, a practice much more far reaching and corrupt than her petty graft. The Senator is being singled out for yielding to the temptation arising out of her relative poverty, while her richer colleagues who wallow in the excess of their political hubris are not only free to abuse their power, they are encouraged to do so.
The evil that this particular Senator indulged in is nothing more than a minor extension of the hubris that constitutes all government action.
i think it was a set up aganst here because she is black and wright be fore voting this whole thin stinks i will back here up all the way and stand with her and sopport her rgn61@yahoo.com she is innceent to me
Well a lot of things are George Bush's fault, but this is not one of them.
Wilkerson is a crook, plain and simple. It is just a shame that she is black and a senator.
It casts doubt in some minds about other Af Am in office or seeking office.
An attempt to play the race card, which she will no doubt do will be easily defeated. That is what videotape is for. Good Riddance!
It's all over, but the shoutin'.
Voters forgave Kwame and Marion Barry, but they were men. No matter what happens from here on out, everyone will forever have in their heads the grainy FBI images of her stuffing $100 bills into her bra.
She sounds like she was very polite to the bribers, always saying thank you and telling them how much she appreciated their bribe money. Surely that should count for something (*wink wink*)
WOW another corrupt Repubilcan. Gee what a surprise! Can't to hear how they will spin this on. It must be Obama's wife in disguise. It the media trying to smear the republican image. Or maybe its the evil FBI government agency is out to get all republicans. WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED AS REPUBLICAN?! I think even those who vote republican are corrupt. Corrupt in the heart. A vote for them is only a vote for your own welfare, not the welfare of the American society at large. That is how they get you. They trick you into voting out of personal greed and fear. Ohhh the Demicates will take your guns, take your money they will rape and pilage you all. THe demicates is a vote for the American society, A republican vote is a vote for the individual. Think about it.
all.and leave
"likely to deal a death blow to Wilkerson's political career." Are you kidding me? I think this lines her up to be Kennedy's successor
Let’s See:
Kennedy kills a young lady he’s trying to trying to screw;
Kerry’s claim to fame-he marries wealthy women;
Gerry Studds raped a 16 year old page;
Barney “Hot Bottom” Franks hires a male hooker for sex;
then destroys the economy with social engineering;
Sen Marzilli assaults women;
Wilerson a racist, lies, cheats, steals;
It’s no wonder the rest of the country thinks people from MA are psychos. And you people keep re-electing these parasites.
Can’t wait to see what Barry does to top the MA Dems.
VOTE NO ON QUESTION #1
LMH, say what you want about the race card. Its no big deal that a white lady running for VP did the same thing with a smaller payoff in Alaska.
A quote from the independent Branchflower report, "I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides
"The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust"
I for one am appalled by the apparent behavior of this senator. Obviously the decision as to her guilt rests with the judge and jury, but it certainly looks pretty open-and-shut based on the photos.
I hope this prompts closer observation of the current crop of state officials--this sort of behavior cannot be allowed to flourish.
@Fred - lets not turn this into a partisan thing, okay? I'm a liberal democrat and I'm not going to excuse Diane Wilkerson just because she's at the blue end of the political spectrum.
Let's be fair. I see a few comments that liberals or dems this or that not getting coverage in their scandals. Be grown up we all know it depends on the source and who is reporting. Also seems to be a bit of a racial undertow in the commentary, though I guess I forget that this is Boston and that is what Boston is built on. The other side of this is that repub scandals get swept under as well, McCain and the Keating 5 as well as Palin's abuse of power.
Again it depends on the souce. Barely any newspapers or channels report without bias these days.
This is just another setback for people of color, When will we realize ,We cannot contionue to destroy the path that we have to reached back and pull others forward.
Her response will be the same as it always is: "The MAN is out to get me."
Remember, that she (and her pal Turner) play the race card quickly and at every opportunity. The FBI knows this, so you can rest assured this indictment is rock solid and watertight.
All I can say is, as a constituent, thanks for bagging her before the election. If she'd won, we'd have even less representation that we already do. It's hard to legislate from Leavenworth.
right wing chutzpah continues to amaze me. We're seeing first hand what 8 years of the neocon agenda has brought us, but there are still morons out there who want to use Wilkerson's follies to discredit liberals. What a joke. Get ready for 8 years of liberal leadership now. We'll see where we are in 8 years. May not be paradise, but it can't be worse than what we have now.
Yes it can, remember Jimmy Carter and 21% Mortgage rates -who's the moron now?
Lefty:
You are obviously too young or too ignorant to remember the Carter years- 17% mortage rates, 10% unemployment, US Embassy attacked and overrun. Iran spit in Carter's face. Days after Reagan's election, the Iranian's freed the hostages because they knew he'd kick their ass. You think Barry's in for 8 years? Four and no more- you see, those like you who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Keep drining your Kool Aid.
"I pushed this envelope farther than it's ever been pushed before". That statement alone tells me the kind of person she is. She'll claim racism this afternoon, and those who have continually supported this criminal will claim racism also. Well folks, you put her there. "Hey, your righeous colleague is going to prison. What are you gonna do now?"
Shes not even running as a Democrat. How do you need to spin that?
please people, if you are going to take the time to respond to these comments, check for spelling and grammer.
This situation has no more to do with other AA politicians or people than did the imaginary big black guy who carved a backwards B into a mentally unstable McCain campaign worker have anything to do with Barack Obama - except in the diseased minds of people who think that the actions of one reflect the characters of all. If Diane Wilkerson were Irish, would her arrest prove that all Irish pols are susceptible to bribery?
Wilkerson's response:
A) "I'm suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the recent financial crisis."
B) "I did not inhale."
C) "I thought the informant was giving me extra padding for my bra."
D) "Governor Patrick and Mayor Menino authorized me to collect the funds as part of a revenue initiative."
E) "I was planning on reporting it as earned income on my taxes. I do plan on paying my taxes this year!"
F) "Foxwoods! For the wonder of it all!"
Can you say "entrapment"? Just wait and see how it all comes out in court, she will be exonerated and the FBI will look like they always do, like fools....
First, let's take the race card out of this issue.
Theives and liars come in all colors.
Wow! From the looks of it, people in Mass. like voting for a criminal. It's their own fault that they ended up with this loser crook.
Ise be innocent! I didn't done do them thing they said! I got my mind on my money and my money in my bra...dees be repreations...repeatations...it be payback for dem taxes ise hads to pay!
You're next Chuckey. For whom the bell tolls.......
RGN61, it may be best for you to learn English before you start a stand for this woman. She's a crook as many many other political figures on both sides of the aisle. Just funny how the money she received is pennies on the dollar to what some of the more powerful have received in the Senate * cough * Fannie Mae.
RGN61, it may be best for you to learn English before you start a stand for this woman. She's a crook as many many other political figures on both sides of the aisle. Just funny how the money she received is pennies on the dollar to what some of the more powerful have received in the Senate * cough * Fannie Mae.
I think some of the responders to this article are as ignorant as Sen. Wilkerson. Half of the responses make no sense at all. That said, I'm sure Sen. Wilkerson will have a pretty good excuse (wink wink) to account for her actions. I'm feeling the "I was running my own scam and planned to turn in these crooks" coming. But, it is a possiblity that the voters of her district will now return her to the Senate. After all, in her case, any free publicity will help her campaign. You can bet all the voters in her district are now aware she is running for office against.......what's the other guy's name? Also, how many of the pols on Beacon Hill are worried about what happens when the other shoe
drops? Some people up there should be very concerned!
The absolute height of arrogance. A characteristic that's all too prevalent in many of our politicians, but Ms. Wilkerson has it bad.
she is going to run for election? aaahhh... yes, why not? Maybe the good people of Roxbury will support her once again. and then rue the plight of their neighborhoods - it is always someone else's fault why nothing gets done. She is shameless - that is what this means. To run for an election after this. She deserves jail for this, nothing less.
She has no morals and no shame.
Under the botton of the garbage barrell trash! And she is going to continue her campaign. She has no shame, no honor, no dignity. I imagine Jesse Jackson, the Rev Al, and Jimmy Myers will be out campaigning for her by Friday! Utter disgrace! Thanks Dianne for once again showing the rest of the country what crooks we are. And people wonder why we want to repeal the personal income tax! With people like this, robbing us blind, why should we give them any more of our money!!!!!!
What a space cadet. So they should have sat on the indictment until AFTER the election?? Congratulations, you won. Now, let's go off to jail?
Let her run. Everyone knows what kind of person Dianne Wilkerson is - her behavior speaks for itself, and we already know she is a person without principles or shame. The question is, will the voters finally, definitively reject her, or will they continue to apologize for her and falsely cry "racism"?
Does this woman have no shame? Disgusting.
I'm a Democrat and a liberal one at that, but it is disgraceful that this woman would continue her bid for re-election.
Is she kidding me?
True, you do have to wonder why these charges were brought out this close to an election, but, if you've done the crime, you have to...you know the rest of that.
She should slink off into the shadows and keep a low profile, and help her party out in so doing.
Somebody has to talk some sense into this woman.
John Said: "please people, if you are going to take the time to respond to these comments, check for spelling and grammer."
It's grammar, John. Grammar. *shakes head*
Well if she is elected, all I can say is: "you get what you pay for"
SHE HAS NO SHAME
I can't wait until she "rolls-over" weeping on The State politicians. You know she isn't alone on this. She is going to snitch like a sqealing-poked creature.
I can't wait for the laundry-list of LIBERAL-SCUM that she gives up; as they sit at home biting their nails right now....
The sad thing is she doesn't think she did anything wrong!
Really! Really? Still in the race you say? Really!
To John who wrote:
"please people, if you are going to take the time to respond to these comments, check for spelling and grammer."
"Grammar" not "grammer"...Maybe you should have checked your own!!!
WOW!
Vote yes on #1 Please!
I am so tired of all of this nonsense. She should not be able to continue running as a candidate. Seriously, put her in jail where she belongs.
"please people, if you are going to take the time to respond to these comments, check for spelling and grammer."
Ummmm, I believe it is spelled "grammar."
too funny.
She is a career crook and should forgoe her sicker campaign. Nonetheless, this is not about race, one political party or how things are done in the Commonwealth. Corruption happens at every level of government, within both political parties and across the Globe since the dawn of civilization.
It is important to see the true blue neocons get racial and show their real colours. So, because McCain helped pillage Billions of dollars from the Federal government during the Keating/S$L scandal, are all white Republican males corrupt?
on a side note:
Senator Wilkerson has announced the
creation of a defense fund/campaign contribution
fund.
Donations can kindly be left on her
front porch, preferably in an unmarked envelope.
For a little while today, I thought Diane Wilkerson would finally do the right thing and withdraw her candidacy. Even if she is found not quilty in the end, which I seriously doubt given the evidence, her criminal trial will take away from the time she would have to serve her constituency if she were to win the election. By deciding to continue on with her candidacy, she has confirmed that she is devoid of any integrity whatsoever.
"WOW another corrupt Repubilcan. Gee what a surprise! Can't to hear how they will spin this on. It must be Obama's wife in disguise. It the media trying to smear the republican image. Or maybe its the evil FBI government agency is out to get all republicans. WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED AS REPUBLICAN?! I think even those who vote republican are corrupt. Corrupt in the heart. A vote for them is only a vote for your own welfare, not the welfare of the American society at large. That is how they get you. They trick you into voting out of personal greed and fear. Ohhh the Demicates will take your guns, take your money they will rape and pilage you all. THe demicates is a vote for the American society, A republican vote is a vote for the individual. Think about it.
all.and leave"
.....Hmm I guess if you knew how to spell Democrats you would realize that she isn't a Republican dummy
what an insult to the people in her district! By continuing her write in effort she is making a statement; that being that she thinks people in her district are stupid!
"WOW another corrupt Repubilcan. Gee what a surprise! Can't to hear how they will spin this on. It must be Obama's wife in disguise. It the media trying to smear the republican image. Or maybe its the evil FBI government agency is out to get all republicans. WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED AS REPUBLICAN?! I think even those who vote republican are corrupt. Corrupt in the heart. A vote for them is only a vote for your own welfare, not the welfare of the American society at large. That is how they get you. They trick you into voting out of personal greed and fear. Ohhh the Demicates will take your guns, take your money they will rape and pilage you all. THe demicates is a vote for the American society, A republican vote is a vote for the individual. Think about it.
all.and leave"
.....Hmm I guess if you knew how to spell Democrats you would realize that she isn't a Republican dummy
I made a bet with a guy in my office yesterday. Bet that she, globe or dems (or any combination) would somehow make her a) the victim b) play the race card c) blame a republican. He put a time stamp on it, that all of this must happen before the end of business today. Since I cannot do anything about it, I will profit from the predictability and arrogance of our political leaders, especially those of color. I win! What a country we live in. We need to dig up our founding fathers so they can straighten out this mess.
Dianne's proclamation was missing one thing from what I can see... an emphatic statement of innocence. No denial whatsoever, just, vote for me, and how dare the DA bring this down right before the election. Two sides to the story Dianne? Hmmm, wonder how you are going to explain away the money up the bra picture!
I hear she picked up the endorsement of Maidenform.
She is taking advantage of the good people who believe in her and it makes me sick!
Stephen1947 -- Agreed. She's certainly no role-model. She deserves jail time (and probably deserved it before), and the people of her district deserve better, but remember: as of right now the only people who are bringing up the "race card" are commenters in this forum. Sadly, in today's political climate it seems that corruption is the only thing that transcends race and party politics. I just hope that her flagrant violation of the law doesn't galvanize support of Question 1 or tarnish all African American politicians in the minds of MA voters as it seems to be doing in these comments.
Has she no shame...
As a proud Progressive Democrat, I firmly believe this woman is sick...clearly, there is something wrong with her! If the voters of her district fail in their sticker effort, I do believe her colleagues on the hill will do what is right and exile her.
Not sure how this case has turned in to another tired left vs. right debate. Politicians, in general, are of questionable character. Both sides of the aisle are littered with the carcasses of shamed public officials who have embarrassed their constituents.
I wonder if we'll ever be able to objectively say, "this person is a dirtbag," without inviting, "oh yeah, well what about him/her," from the other side.
One word: Shameless
This woman is (and has been for decades) a con artist and a disgrace--trading off the Whitey Bulger credo that being nice to old ladies forgives any crime against the rest of us. I only feel sorry for her constituents, who have been repeatedly duped, and repeatedly betrayed.
Well this is very interesting. It seems as though the FBI has quite a case against Miss Wilkerson, audio, video! Yet Miss Wilkerson is still campaigning for re-election. Miss Wilkerson should look down Inter state 95 to Providence, the FBI put Buddy Cianci away for 5 years and they had nothing on him, Buddy Cianci was found innocent of all predicate charges, so they slapped a RICO on him. I think Miss Wilkerson has a lot more to be concerned with other than getting re-elected, especially when her District already told her no when they supported her opponent Miss Diaz back in September.
This is Wilkerson's "AUDACITY OF HOPE"
All I can do is pray for diane wilkerson. I don't understand why folks risk their jobs for greed and temptations. I am actually glad that we have a new Senator and I hope that it works out for her because like Obama said, we need change and he is right. She has been in there for way to long and I don't know much of what she has accomplished, so lets get a new face in office.
Mike, you're giving that idiot way too much credit. About as much as the mental midgets who think its entrapment for somone to take cash in exchange for favors....
If Diane Wilkerson is returned to the State Senate by her district, it will prove once and for all that there is something fundementally wrong within the urban African American culture. Criminals are admired in their music. Misogyny is held forth as a virtue. When I think about the African American culture that gave us men like Thurgood Marshall and the Tuskeegee Airman, I can only imagine that they would weep to see that people like OJ, Sean Colmes and Ms. Wilkerson are now "role models." It's a sad thing that truly innocent African Americans go to jail day in and day out, but these high profile criminals are somehow protected by the African American community. It makes taking their calls for a more equal justice system hard to swallow.
what a freakin bozo
Once a hack always a hack...
W wouldn't be the first Boston pol to be elected from a jail cell, although hers is a figurative cell for the moment.
Just wondering . . . suppose there was a race and W was not under a cloud but her opponent was. The U.S. attorney has the facts to indict and arrest W's opponent before the election, but holds off to avoid influencing the voters. Would W think that was the right and fair thing to do? Probably not.
she is a total nut! lock her up and throw away the key! lets clean house this is a disgrace and we should crack down on all of the crooked politicians! No wonder we are is such a mess ! what happened to honest people? who does she think she is she is so bold!!
Subpoenas are going out to many Democraps in City Hall and the State House- the rats will try to run and hide like the vermin they are. IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT! He made them all liars, thieves, crooks, human scum, and to have IQ's lower than a cockroach!
Let's use this opportunity to make gratuitous racist remarks!
What does she have up her sleeve... I mean bra.
Can a march down Melnea Cass Blvd. with Al Sharpton - Jesse Jackson & The leader of the doofs Farakan be far off.....What an absolute disgrace to any hardworking person in her "legislative domain"
"I'm shocked, shocked that lying, ceating, stealing, and gambling are going on in this establishment!" "Here's your bride Ms. Wilkerson." "Thank you. I derseve it 'cause I'm so smart!."
Nofool: I'm probably older than you are. Mortgage rates were high during the carter years. I don't recall Carter involving the US in a needless war costing thousands of lives and costing billions of dollars (I'm a veteran too, so don't give me the right wing "antipatriotic" talking point either). we have differences of opinion. The proof is in the pudding. Look around you. The country's a mess and your guys have been in charge the past 8 years. Deal with it.
Garbage in, garbage out. You vote for garbage, you get what you deserve.
Just disgusting. Even in the face of obvious corruption and criminal behavior, she's willing to thumb her nose at the people and tell them they're not taking her out. The epitomy of arrogance. Vote her out!
This makes me want to vote yes on Question 1
I've heard there is a waiting list for the Official Paper Schredders on Capital Hill today.
I was considering taking money out of the change machines while noone was looking but now I have to rethink my retirement plan. I love this state. Its like Melrose Place, only here, its the massachusetts tax payers that are getting screwed. Maybe we should all stop paying these folks and stop paying taxes. In the words of The Joker "This town needs an enima"
She's pathetic. Almost as pathetic as all the GOP mouth-breathers on here trying to paint this as some kind of indictment of the entire Democratic Party nationwide. Does Ted Stevens' conviction mean that the entire Republican Party is corrupt as well? That's what I thought.
Pray that the truth comes to the surface in the situation. We as a community need lots of Wisdom right about now. It's a tuff things to see this getting played out at such an historical time as this.
Just pray.
You pompous, arrogant crook. How many times do we have to deal with these crooked politicians whining that they have been caught in illegal activities? We have a US senator indicted on corruption charges who is proclaiming his innocence. Wilkerson was caught on tape! How can anyone refute her guilt? Wilkerson has no sense of what is ethically or morally right. We can only hope that justice will be served and she will be sent away for a very long time. She is a very poor role model for our children and should be punished for her wrongs against those who put their trust in her. SHAME ON YOU!!!
She's a Mass. politician. Is anyone even remotely surprised?
It has absolutely nothing to do with race or Dem vs. GOP.
Every single State Senator or Representative, regardless of political party, is a complete scumbag.
Period.
Hey Someone who cares about American society - What you talkin bout willis? A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
just check wikipedia she's there in all her glory CORRUPT!!!!!! Put her in the slammer!!! end of discussion!!
let's all calm down here and look at the facts. Enough with the bickering...They have pictures, recordings etc. I don't know how you defend yourself here if you Wilkerson. I think she will get what she deserves.
For those of you who are against question 1, can you now understand why this might pass. After reading this you have to have a serious lack of confidence in anyone on Beacon Hill being good stewards of our money. This has the smell of trash and makes you question the people who have helped keep her in power for so long with so many red flags over the years. One party rule in MA is showing it's ugly head. The bottom line is that Wilkerson never should have survived as long as she did and the fact that she did shows what that in the Beacon Hill environment the Pol's are unwilling and unable to police themselves or show any control. To her supporters who are still defending her....its time to get off this horse and find a Bike.
First, let's take the race card out of this issue.
Theives and liars come in all colors.
Posted by Blackcat October 29, 08 03:18 PM
Blackcat....Thank you for saying this, if I had to read more of the same old "it's a black thing" I'll scream!!!
It's an excuse, call it what it is , a theft is a theft!
What a surprise. Yet another crooked Massachusetts politician gets caught with their fingers in the cookie jar (or in this case, her bra) and then vows to fight on because of the injustice of making sure the cookies were legally acquired. Oh yes, for you morons that don't think this about race? Come on, she's only doing this because she feels victimized and persecuted...because of her race. She also believes she can get a "get out of jail free" card by playing the victim.
This country needs an enema.
I knew the race card was coming.It always does..She is a tax cheat and now a thief..How can anyone say she isnt guilty as hell?The video evidence does not lie..This country is choking on political correctness.how much evidence will it take some people to see she thinks she is above the law.Plain and simple.This has nothing to do with her color or what sex she is, she is as crooked and GUILTY as the white guy that was caught on tape stealing money from the state in Woburn..How the hell is it racisism when you catch someone redhanded stealing?If people dont see her what what she is now they never will..
Any reasonable person would have noticed she was a crook yrs ago. As an independant, I don't go on party lines but recognize a rat when I see one. I hope she gets her punishment, and doesn't bribe "friends in the DA office and courts" to slap her on the wrist again. If not, it is a slap in the face to every citizen of Mass., "We are politicians, we play by another set of laws than you ordinary suckers that pay taxes,"
Obama's going to nominate her for attorney general.
I have been following all the threads about Wilkerson's recent troubles and one thing i find very disturbing amongst many posting subscribers comments is the overt racism. What have Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or Obama have to do with Senator Wilkerson's troubles? If she accepted bribes, SHE accepted Bribes, no one else. She is not a role model and represents no one except her constituents. I have seen comments about reparations, and constant reference to her ethnicity/race.
Now I see why Obama can't necessarily rely on his front runner status in the polls, since people generally are smart enough to hide their racism when asked directly "will race affect your decision?", but in that booth alone , who knows what lever many people will pull. We are one messed up country when it comes to treating people of color with respect.
Take your pick: despicable or just stunning! How could someone possess such arrogance?
Innocent until proven guilty?
How many times does Sen. Wilkerson need to be found guilty before she is 'guilty'? OK, she hasn't killed anyone, but there's certainly plenty for her to be guilty about. If she can't feel guilt, I’d be happy with a little shame:
• For playing the 'race card' by suggesting that only she, an African American woman, can represent the district effectively.
• For enlisting Chuck Turner to impugn Sonja Chang Diaz because she’s “not from our district” and questioning her “ties to the Hispanic and black communities.”
But alas, as Dianne believes she is being oppressed by an orchestrated conspiracy of her enemies, there’s little hope that guilt or shame will guide her. So, it’s up to us, the voters, to give her the guidance she lacks. So Senator, pack up your office, concentrate on your legal defense and then find someone else to blame for your situation.
She is going from being a member of the MA Attorney's Bar, to her bra, then she wil go behind bars. When she gets out, she will be see at De Ja Vu's bar drinking a screwdriver singing Diana Ross' "Do you know where your going to?" She is a very confused lady tht prys on SOME ofthe inorance that resides in her community.
She should have chosen to have had an affair instead.
Joe Don #56 Actually she would prefer the donation be left in a red or black silk bra! She should be hung infront of the statehouse
Thank goodness her time is finally up. She is unreal...even bringing her granchild to one of the payoffs.
Black men and women have a tough enough time trying to make a name for themselves in Politics to begin with. All this does is hamper and tarnish the names of those ladies and gentlemen on BOTH sides of the political spectrum. This is coming from a White Republican.
Now to address those who question the timing, this sting has been going on for 18 months, 1 and 1/2 years or about 540 days. If the time of the investigation was a lot shorter it would have piqued my curiosity, but it going on this long just makes for a more solid case.
She was set up and this is just another desperate attempt to take down a black person with political power!
Who would have thought she'd claim racism for not having enough liquor licenses in her district? OMG what will she think of next? Once a loser, always a loser!! Oh poor Dianne - she got the two nn's in her name for NITWIT and NEVER !!
NEVER will you get re-elected you fool.
Think of your community and the shame you have put on the poor people who have backed you for years, the ones struggling to make ends meat and you're in No.9 Park pigging it up and then stuffing cash in your dirty raggedy bra! How could you, how DARE you? You are a selfish woman who deserves to rot in jail!
Now, really, who walks out of their house in the morning with six grand in cash in their pocket? Only criminals like you Dianne the loser.
Was she going to see the Devil Patrick?
How big is this woman's bra, and couldn't she have just brought a purse instead? These images aren't going to go away easily. Uy yiy yiy.
Vote YES on #1! Pols in this one-party state don't even have to act like they're working in the public interest. MA state government is just a racket.
We'll hear it soon - the Senator just went along with the bribes to gather evidence which she planned all along to turn over to the FBI
The woman has no shame. Period.
Does anybody--besides Wilkerson--really believe she is innocent? I'd love to hear how she plans to explain these payoffs--when, of course, she is "at liberty" to speak about the case. For once, I wish a politician who gets caught in corruption or bribery would just fess up and accept the consequences of their actions. As with the cases involving Marion Barry, Kwame Kilpatrick, Senator Jefferson (money in the freezer) I would not be surprised if Wilkerson and her supporters begin to frame this as a racial attack. That being said, Wilkerson is not the only corrupt pol in MA and I can only hope she will flip and start naming names.
What a pathetic joke! People need to have some standards....she is a habitual liar and habitual criminal!
Money, the mother's milk of politics.
She needs to go to jail for a very long time. She was given opportunities that other people would kill for and she squandered them for a few bucks. She is not just a crook she is a stupid crook.
I call upon Diane Wilkerson to make a clean breast of her crimes.
- -Janet Jackson (aka boobs on the boob tube)
Innocent until proven guilty. Sadly, as it has appeared for many years, Dianne Wilkerson does not seem to have the basic concept of doing the right thing.
Innocent until proven guilty. Sadly, as it has appeared for many years, Dianne Wilkerson does not seem to have the basic concept of doing the right thing.
She'll probably get voted in. Stranger things have happened. Remember, OJ was acquitted!
Is anybody surprised by her behavior?