Calif. state Sen. Yee's lawyer raises questions about case
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
(03-31) 11:54 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Leland Yee's lawyer, in his first public response Monday to the charges against the now-suspended state senator, questioned the time and money the government spent on a three-year investigation but gave no indication of his planned defense against corruption and gun-running allegations.
Attorney Paul DeMeester's comments to reporters came after a brief appearance by Yee before a federal magistrate in San Francisco to discuss the terms of his release on bail. He was freed on a $500,000 bond after federal agents arrested him at his home Wednesday morning.
"What took three years?" DeMeester asked, referring to an FBI affidavit that indicated the investigation of Yee had started in 2011 and lasted until shortly before his arrest.
"It raises questions about the allocation of scarce federal resources, and it raises questions about fairness to Leland Yee and to the public," the defense lawyer said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Calif-state-Sen-Yee-s-lawyer-raises-questions-5364035.php
Xithras
(16,191 posts)Lee doesn't deserve anyone's sympathy. They have recordings of the bastard discussing and planning the importation of weapons from the Phillipines for illegal street gangs and mafia types in New Jersey and criminal organizations in Italy and elsewhere. Unless the FBI is flat-out lying about their evidence, I don't see Lee escaping a LONG prison stay.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)which may be inconvenient but real.
If Lee had approached the undercover agents seeking bribes it would one thing but when an undercover agent approaches Yee and cajoles him into accepting a bribe when he has stated that "it sounds too much like pay to play and I don't want to do it", it smells of entrapment.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)We need to be ready for our new pick for the district and get this behind us. Remember that is what happened to Republicans one election during Bush's Second term...a bunch of Republicans were found to be doing some weird stuff and they suffered at the voting booths. We don't need the same outcome.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)Even if 10% of what is in that affidavit it true, this is way too lurid for him to survive the political fallout. He needs to resign and we in his district move on to replace him and hope voter confidence won't be in the toilet over this whole affair.
I don't like the approach the UCEs used either, I think those kinds of ploys are shitty, but Yee's campaign staffer was hiring himself out as a gun for hire for a fake hit, and Yee was using influence to get arms from the Philippine military in a fake deal, yes, but wtf.
Mr.Bill
(24,282 posts)In that district, it's a lock his replacement will be a Democrat. Everyday he doesn't resign, we are missing a vote in Sacramento.
totodeinhere
(13,058 posts)offering a bribe he should not have taken the bait. And there is more to this case than bribery. He is also accused of trafficking in firearms. The thing that infuriates me the most about this is that Republicans are already using this case to try to say that the Democratic Party is the party of corruption. I'll bet that Fox News is having a field day with this. Of course Republicans are no less corrupt than Democrats if not more so but with an election coming up in November we don't need this.
And if he eventually does get acquitted on the basis of entrapment that will almost certainly happen after the November election and the damage may already have been done.
7962
(11,841 posts)wall_dish
(85 posts)Why didn't he, at any time during the preceding 3 years, report this to the proper authorities?
wall_dish
(85 posts)When it comes to prominent politicians, the FBI is very, very careful to make sure they get their T's crossed and their I's dotted.
What floors me the most is that Sen. Yee is one of the most outspoken gun control politicians in CA, and yet, according to the affidavit, he's attempting to do an illegal deal to bring full automatic weapons and shoulder fired AA missiles from the Phillipines.
What hypocrisy, and in a hotly contested election year, this is a distraction that's not needed.
geomon666
(7,512 posts)I'm starting to think it's a prerequisite to abandon all of your morals when entering politics.
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)They want to make very sure that their case is as airtight as they can make it.
Unless Yee can provide a bigger fish for the FBI to go after (presuming there is even one) he is going to go to jail for a very long time.
hack89
(39,171 posts)wall_dish
(85 posts)Since when is it a waste of resources to investigate and stop the possible introduction into this country of full automatic weapons and shoulder fired AA missiles!!
Is he fucking serious?
If I were Sen. Yee, I would be thinking about retaining a new lawyer.
7962
(11,841 posts)Guess he didnt want the competition.