Former Memphis Mayor and 9th Congressional District candidate Willie Herenton believes politics are behind a recent letter he received from the FBI, informing him that he's the target of an ongoing criminal investigation.
In a letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder, Herenton said the target letter he received "is grounded solely in politics."
He noted that the notification, coming "just weeks" before his first campaign event, "is grounded solely in politics and is nothing more than a well-orchestrated attempt to influence the outcome of the congressional election next year."
But a look at the timeline of events leading up to the letter reveals that this FBI investigation precedes Herenton's congressional intentions.
For more than a year, the federal grand jury has been investigating a $91,000 payment Herenton received in 2006 in connection with the Greyhound bus station Downtown. The investigation is centered around whether Herenton used his position as mayor to benefit his private real estate business.
Initial evidence of the investigation came in December 2007, when the federal grand jury subpoenaed officials at the Memphis Area Transit Authority for e-mail records. The probe followed reports by The Commercial Appeal that a private developer paid the mayor $50,000 in a private land deal after landing $702,000 in no-bid city road design contracts.
Meanwhile, Herenton did not make his congressional intentions known until April 2009, when he announced the formation of an exploratory committee to study a run for the 9th Congressional District seat held by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.
What do you think, could the timing of this target letter be designed to thwart Herenton's run for Congress? Or is Herenton's argument just a campaign ploy designed to divert attention away from the cloud of this federal investigation?
Herenton is clearly guilty of fraud and theft at the very least. He's at a loss here as he's going up against Mr. Holder and can't just play the usual race card. Hence he's mixing up the blame game script just a little bit.
I cannot even imagine how deluded his supporters must be to still believe anything he says. The result of blind devotion, ignorance or outright delusion?
Memphis and Shelby County in general will be a safer place the day he's finally behind bars. Have fun in the Federal Pen, King Willie!