Newspaper Page Text
FBI probe of Sharpton ‘hogus’
By HERB BOYD
Sw'al to the NNPA
NEW YORK (NNPA) -
Angered by a headline in the
New York Post, the Rev. Al
Sharpton called a press confer
ence in front of the papers
headquarters and charged that
the story was “bogus.”
The Posts story, as Sharpton
explained, was based on one
that appeared in the Philadel
phia Inquirer.
One of the most damaging
assertions in the Posts story
states that “an FBI wiretap
picked up (La-Van) Hawkins
telling (Ronald) White he
believed they had raised more
than $140,000 for Sharpton in
the previous quarter — but
Hawkins fretted because
Sharpton had reported only
about $50,000 on his tederal
elecion filing. “Hes a train
wreck — a plane crash waiting
to happen,” Hawkins told
White about Sharpton, accord
if ®w e pier
“Thats a very important sen
tence,” Sharpton said. “And
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since they used this as the basis
of their story, they should tell
the whole story.”
Sharpton then recited the part
omitted by the Post, quou
from the Inquirer: “(la—\ZnS
Hawkins apparendy was refer
ring to news reports that Sha.:r
ton had raised $54,000 in the
second quarter of 2003. It is
unclear whether Hawkins
understood the details of the
campaign-finance reports,
because Federal Election Com
mission records show that
Hawkins and his associates
made major contributions in
the first quarter of 2003.”
Sharpton then related that
several weeks ago the Post erro
neously reported that he and
William l'fi:())mpson. the dtys
comptroller, were under a fed
eral probe for a scheme to
defraud the pension fund,
which is overseen by Thomp
son.
“A prosecutor stood in feder
al court and said there was no
wrongdoing,” Sharpton con
tnued. “In fact, they dropped
our names from the situaton.
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The Post didn' report that. ...
I challenge not orrenfi/othc Post to
come forward and print the
whole article, but the FBI
should release the tape, if th
have a tape, and my FEC&-,
ings and I'll show you that
everything ... was properly
filed. Anufthcn? was no proba
ble cause for an FBI probe of
anything,
At the top of the Post’s story
it indicated that Sharpton was
the target of a criminal investi
gation and had been secredy
videotaped pocketing cam
paign donations from “two
shady fund-raisers in a New
York City hotel room and then
asking for more,” the Post
rted.
rqi\oll the FBI had to do was 1o
consult the filings, Sharpton
said, “and they would have seen
there were no grounds for a
probe.” He went on to say, “If
it takes the FBI two years to
check their findings and report
them, then | shmii have been
president so | could have had
an FBI director who under
stands how to look into
Supporting the troops
(NAPSI)- As American
service men and women
continue their mission in
Iraq, Afghanistan and
other locations around
the world, support for
our troops is ever so
important. Today, some
2.6 million active duty
service members are on
duty in 146 countries,
ensuring our freedom
and the freedom of oth
ers.
things,” Sharpton
He said he had sr?:fg the
alleged videotape of him
accepting money from La-Van
Hawkins and z: late Ronald
White, who died last Novem
ber. Hawkins and White were
characterized as shady by the
Post, a description
Sharpton disputed.
“Funny, they weren't consid
ered shady in 2003, when Mr.
White wanted to help our
campaign,” Sharpton Ecgan
“Mr. White was a lawyer, a
director of a bank, and dose to
the mayor (John Street) of
Philadelphia, and Mr.
Hawkins. How was 1 to know
that a year and a half later th
were going to be pnosecutcz;
So, I guess when James Brown
in(rofificcd me to Richard
Nixon | was supposed to know
that he was going to be snared
in Watergate the next year. And
I guess v%lcn I met Bill Clinton
I should have known that later
he was going to have problems.
Not oni(/ must | be a preacher,
I must also be a prophet.”
In the Post’s story it was stat
In a salute to our
troops, Swarovski, the
world's leading manufac
turer of cut crystal, has
partnered with the Unit
ed Service Organizations
(USO) and designed a
three-pin Tribute to the
Troops Collection. The
USO will receive 10 per
cent from the sales to
support programs that
benefit the troops and
their families.
ed that Sharpton had accepted
money frh?)?;\ Hawkins and
White to help qualify for
matching federal funds. Also,
according to the Inquirer, the
two men were secking to curry
favor with Sharpton in order to
E"v]:md\un a leg up in various
iness endeavors, induding
thgrficnsion fund.
e conversations between
ih;rsxton and White wcx;: cap
during a wiretap of their
phone ufnlnfi The FBI has
dedined to comment on this
issue.
“What is absolutely erro
neous in all this is that if some
one wanted me to help them, |
am not a public official ... th
could hire me,” Sharpton san?l
“I have a consultng firm. |
would not need an election
campaign to curry favor for
them.”
He added: “Can you imag
ine what would happen if it
was a White presidential candi
date?” Sharpton asked. He said
he believed he was a target of
the FBI, but said that he did
not know why, since “I have
For the last 64 years,
the USO (www.uso.org)
has served as a bridge
between the U.S. mili
tary and the American
people to boost the
morale and improve the
lives of military person
nel serving far from
home.
“We are proud to part
ner with Swarovski to
raise awareness and sup
port for our men and
April 28, 2005
-
> i&l
’- ! g
L e
N.o Ji '
'\
77 -
2l a
Al Sharpton
done nothing wrong.”
He said that it might stem from
the fact that White was a cen
tral figure in the Philadelphia *
City Hall probe. Hawkins, a
fast-food mogul who hails
from Detroit, is currendy on
trial in Philadelphia on fi,fi?
of helping White to a
SIO,OOO payment to Philadel
phias ex-treasurer Corey Kemp
in an attempt to influence gov
ermnment contracts.
women in uniform,” said
USO President Edward
A. Powell. “We look for
ward to working with a
company that is known
for quality around the
world."
The Tribute to the
Troops Collection s
available at Swarovski
retailers or online at
www.swarovski.com. For
more information, call 1-
800-426-3088.
11A