Evidence Builds That Perry's Office Pressured Panel On Willingham Probe
By Heather Thursday Oct 15, 2009 4:00am
From TPM Muckraker--Evidence Builds That Perry's Office Pressured Panel On Willingham Probe:
Things are looking worse and worse for Texas governor Rick Perry, accused of stifling a state panel's probe into that flawed arson investigation that may have led to the execution of an innocent man.
Sam Bassett, the former chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, has now told the Houston Chronicle that lawyers for Perry told him the case was inappropriate, and that the hiring of a nationally known fire expert was a "waste of state money."
Over the weekend, Bassett had said he was pressured by the governor's lawyers.
Meanwhile, Perry's GOP rivals are slamming his handling of the issue, and accusing him of a cover-up. As governor, Perry signed off on the execution, despite receiving eleventh-hour documents from lawyers for the convicted man, Cameron Willingham, containing evidence that the original investigation was badly flawed.
Last month, Perry, a Republican, had declined to re-appoint Bassett, as well as several other commissioners whose terms had expired. Bassett has since suggested that the decision was part of an effort to stymie the Willingham inquiry.
Bassett's replacement as chair, John Bradley, immediately canceled a hearing at which the nationally known arson expert, Craig Beyler, was scheduled to testify, and has not said whether it will be rescheduled.
Bassett told the Chronicle he had been summoned to a meeting earlier this year with Perry's then-General Counsel David Cabrales and Deputy General Counsel Mary Anne Wiley. He described it as "progressively confrontational."
CNN's Anderson Cooper picked up on the story as well tonight. Transcript below the fold.
