For those of you who aren’t familiar with MA politics, here is the Reader’s Digest Version. Former Speaker of the House, Tom Finneran, pleaded guilty in 2007 to obstruction of justice in U.S. District Court. Since then, he has lost claims to a $30,000 annual pension and his law license has been suspended indefinitely. Finneran is asking the MA Supreme Judicial Court to suspend his license for a finite time period which I assume would take precedent over the BBO decision which is expected to be a permanent disbarment.
Here, we have a case where the evidence indicates that (Finneran) – a lawyer with an otherwise impeccable record for honesty and service to the commonwealth – had a moment of personal weakness,” attorney Arnold Rosenfeld contends in a document whose opening statement is a single, 172-word sentence.
And while he’s not mentioned by name, Finneran, who hosts a morning talk show on WRKO-AM (680), appears to implore the SJC to ignore the “ignorant criticisms” of
Herald columnist and fellow ’RKO talkmeister Howie Carr when factoring in the public’s anticipated reaction to whether the disgraced pol gets the boot or the kid-gloves treatment.
After Finneran pled guilty he was hired by talk radio station, WRKO for the morning drive. Popular Boston Herald columnist, Howie Carr, is the afternoon host of the #1 talk show in Boston, also on WRKO. Howie has never met a hack he wouldn’t love to ridicule and has been relentless in his criticism of Finneran and his own radio station for hiring the convicted felon.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the drive home from work this afternoon.
For the record: Finneran is the second of three Speakers IN A ROW to be accused of crimes and forced to resign.
Update 7/1: Howie Carr responds in today’s column.
SPITFIRE MURPHY 