The Delaware Way is beginning to crumble. The indictment and guilty plea of Chris Tigani, all taking place within a matter of hours this afternoon, could well hasten its demolition.
First, read the story, it’s that important. Here’s a key excerpt:
Prosecutors said Tigani, who made headlines for a series of legal battles with his father and others, orchestrated a scheme to make campaign contributions far in excess of federal law to a wide range of candidates for state and federal office “to increase his company’s influence over matters of importance to N.K.S. (huge liquor distributorship) throughout the state of Delaware.” Court papers then specifically mention one matter in particular in Tigani’s efforts to influence elected officials: the so-called sweetheart land deal, facilitated by his friend Ruth Ann Minner when she was governor, to get a 66-year-lease on two parcels of land along Del. 1 in Milford. That land was owned by the Delaware Department of Transportation. That deal was first reported by The News Journal.
The Delaware Way links in the story are many. Contributions from Tigani to Joe Biden, the Democratic State Committee, Ruth Ann Minner. The Governor’s Office directly intervening to give Tigani the sweetheartiest of all sweetheart deals.
The real key is the fact that he pleaded guilty so readily. He must be spilling his guts out to the Feds…or had better be. It must not end with him. The News-Journal excerpt quoted above defines the term quid pro quo. The memo from Minner’s Chief-of-Staff to DELDOT on the proposed sweetheart deal made clear what the quid pro quo was all about. Allow me to quote: “Make it happen.”
When you read the story, you see how Tigani basically got NKS employees to either pony up or, most likely, to put their names on contributions actually coming from Tigani and NKS. While trying to cover up the official source of the contributions, he made sure that those enjoying his largesse knew that he and NKS were the ones letting the money flow. In so doing, he placed each and every NKS employee whose name appears on the contribution lists in legal jeopardy. Classy move by one classy guy.
Here’s what must happen: (1) Beau Biden must immediately recuse himself directly from any ongoing investigations concerning NKS and the other parties involved. He must appoint, or have appointed, a special prosecutor to investigate this mess. While neither he nor Vice President Biden may have personally been sullied by this, his ongoing involvement in this would be perceived correctly as a conflict-of-interest; (2) The Federal Department of Justice must pursue this case wherever it goes. Those in the Minner Administration who put up the ‘For Sale’ sign on government must be punished. Anything short of that makes a mockery of the entire notion of justice; (3) The State Democratic Committee must immediately return or renounce (i. e. donate to charity) the Tigani/NKS contributions.
Folks, as Democrats, and I’m one, we must make sure that one-party rule, if it ever eventuates, does not mean corrupt rule. The Minner Administration, in particular, represents true ethical rot and perhaps criminal corruption. Those responsible must be pursued and brought to justice, and we must insist that they be pursued and brought to justice. Along the way, some people we think of as ‘good’ may get caught up in the net. It’s the price we must pay to ensure that people believe that, at the very least, their government is not for sale to the highest and sleaziest bidders.