Finneran pressing Bush for a pardon
4 Mass. governors backing ex-speaker Seeks forgiveness in redistricting case
Former House speaker Thomas M. Finneran, seeking to cleanse the stain left by his 2007 conviction for obstruction of justice, is angling for a last-minute pardon from President Bush and has lined up a group of former Massachusetts governors to back his request.
Finneran submitted an application for a presidential pardon last month, and the four governors - Democrat Michael Dukakis and Republicans William F. Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Jane Swift - followed up with a letter to the White House praising his integrity.
Finneran has already been "severely punished," the governors wrote, citing the loss of his state pension, the suspension of his license to practice law, and his firing from a lucrative private-sector job.
"And he has suffered daily taunts and ridicule of those who believe that every elected official is the equivalent of a common thief," the governors told the president in their letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe. They assured Bush that Finneran has "seen the error of this episode" and is truly sorry.
Finneran, who has developed a new career holding forth as a radio talk-show host on WRKO-AM, was traveling and did not respond to voice-mail messages yesterday. His lawyer, Mark E. Robinson, who served as Weld's chief of staff at the State House, refused to comment. Robinson also would not respond to questions about what support Finneran is getting from other prominent figures in Boston or Washington. Governor Deval Patrick and US Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry had not been approached, according to members of their staffs.
Among the hurdles Finneran faces in his quest for a pardon is persuading Bush to waive a rule that a pardon can be granted only five years or more after the conviction.
Finneran struck an agreement with federal prosecutors in January 2007 to plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges stemming from his testimony in a federal civil suit over a House legislative redistricting plan. He was indicted in June 2005 on charges of obstruction and perjury.
At issue were his statements that he had nothing to do with developing a redistricting map. When he was deposed and cross-examined in the case, he displayed a combative attitude - engendered, he has said, by his feeling that he was unfairly accused of trying to harm minority voters through the redistricting plan. His legislative colleagues and political supporters were stunned that Finneran, an experienced trial lawyer, would have perjured himself in a federal civil litigation case.
Finneran was sentenced to 18 months' unsupervised probation and a $25,000 fine. Pleading guilty cost him his position as president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a job paying nearly $500,000 a year that he had taken in October 2004 after serving eight years as speaker. His law license was suspended, and his attempts to collect a 26-year pension were denied by the state pension board. He is appealing his pension case in the courts.
A presidential pardon does not expunge a person's criminal record, but the Justice Department website says it is a "sign of forgiveness." State pension officials said it is not clear what a pardon would do for Finneran's appeal, because the issue has never been raised. The Board of Bar Overseers, which polices the state's legal profession, did not respond to inquiries about the impact a pardon would have on its suspension of his license in 2007.
Bush has granted 191 pardons during his tenure, a relatively small number compared with his predecessors, though presidents typically grant more pardons just before departing office - a practice that generated controversy for President Clinton. Bush recently rescinded a pardon to a New York City developer when it was revealed that the developer's father donated thousands of dollars to the Republican Party last year.
Finneran had asked for help from Mitt Romney, the Republican former governor, who, unlike his colleagues, granted no pardons or commutations during his four-year tenure. But the recent GOP presidential candidate declined to sign the letter with the other governors, officials involved in the discussions confirmed. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the former governor had no comment.
Weld and Dukakis could not be reached for comment. Cellucci, a close Bush ally and friend whom the president appointed US ambassador to Canada, declined to comment. His close connections to the Bush family could give the pardon request a boost. One of Cellucci's closest friends is onetime Massachusetts lawmaker Andrew H. Card Jr., a former chief of staff to Bush and Cabinet secretary to Bush's father.
Swift said she signed the letter because of her respect for Finneran, gained from their years of working together on Beacon Hill. She also said she is convinced of his remorse. After his conviction, Finneran made public, emotional pronouncements that he was sorry for his crime, saying "the wound . . . will hurt for the rest of my life."
"I think he has all the attributes to be granted a pardon," Swift said. "I think he is truly remorseful and realizes he made a terrible mistake. Pardons are made to be granted in those kinds of circumstances."
For the host of a hard-charging radio talk show - where sharp opinions and the skewering of political figures are standard fare - seeking the help of four former governors once again puts Finneran in the middle of a debate over journalistic ethical standards. Finneran stands out on the airways because of his strong defense of the political establishment and the state's major public figures.
Finneran and WRKO came under heavy criticism last year from media critics when he registered as a State House lobbyist, working to look out for the interests of the Massachusetts State Police union.
In 2007, Finneran drew in many members of the political establishment when he was raising a quarter of a million dollars for a nonprofit foundation that supports some of his favorite local programs and educational scholarships. Patrick, Swift, Cellucci, Weld, Kennedy, and Kerry all lent their names to his cause. 