Well, Rowland may have thought everyone forgot... but not so. The wheels of Justice grind slow.
From CT Political Watch:
"I've Never Seen Such A Subpoena"
It's shock and awe in the office of Governor John Rowland this morning as The Hartford Courant reports "Federal criminal authorities have served an exhaustive subpoena on Gov. John G. Rowland's office, demanding a vast array of documents on everything from contractors who got millions of dollars in state business to the Litchfield County dealer from whom the governor bought a fishing boat." According to some observers, the subpoena is a whopper. "I've never seen such a subpoena," said one observer. The parlor games now begin in trying to figure out what the Feds are driving at. Lender, Altimari and Mahony quote some defense lawyers as speculating "prosecutors appear to be trying to show a pattern of racketeering - for example, favors flowing from contractors to the governor while state business went to the contractors." Others are not so sure. "This has reached a frenzy now, and this shows they are going in 85 directions at once," says an unidentified defense lawyer.
More from the
Hartford Courant (subscription is free):
The lawyers said that, based on the materials requested by the subpoena, federal prosecutors may be attempting to collect evidence showing that Rowland or people in his office repeatedly accepted gifts or favors from businessmen or state employees hoping to win state contracts or approvals for their projects. Establishing such a pattern of behavior is a prerequisite for mounting a racketeering prosecution, they said.
"They are ratcheting up the war," one lawyer said. "It doesn't sound like a fishing expedition. It's pretty specific what they are looking for, a lot of it. ... They know where they are going."
Former U.S. Attorney Stanley A. Twardy Jr., now a defense attorney who represents Claywell, agreed the subpoena suggests investigators could be trying to establish a pattern of behavior by the administration.
But Twardy said prosecutors also may be making a broad effort to obtain original copies of important state documents before the same materials are sought by the state legislative committee poised to bring impeachment proceedings against Rowland.
"It sounds like they are asking for everything that has ever been reported in the newspaper," Twardy said. "This is really very unusual. And part of it may to make sure they have access to all original documents that they might need."
The Select Committee of Inquiry will meet today at 2 p.m. The committee will investigate the matter of impeachment and make a recommendation to the full House, which has the power to impeach or bring formal charges against the governor. If that happened, the Senate would hold a trial and determine if Rowland should be removed from office.