Cunningham: Cooperation With Feds Runs in Family
Posted on Tue Nov 29, 2005 at 11:14:33 PM EST
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Rep. Randy Cunningham who resigned in disgrace after his guilty plea to bribery and related charges will cooperate with the feds in investigating others. He was a major Congressional drug warrior - in 1994 he voted for legislation carrying the death penalty for drug kingpins.
Then his son became one. In 1997, Todd Cunningham was arrested and charged in a conspiracy to fly 400 pounds of marijuana into an airport near Boston. He faced a five year mandatory minimum sentence. He cooperated with others in the conspiracy and in 1998, at a hearing that included a "tearful plea" from his father, was only sentenced to two and one half years.
In reporting on his son's sentencing, the AP noted (11/18/98) the elder Cunningham had some other trouble of his own that year:
In September, he made obscene gestures and swore at a constituent during a speech to prostate cancer patients. During the speech, he also described a rectal cancer treatment procedure he had received as "just not natural, unless maybe you're Barney Frank," a gay congressman from Massachusetts. He later apologized for the remarks.
Crooks and Liars has the video of this week's tearful statement.
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