You broke campaign finance laws, wanted to blame a former campaign staffer who had committed suicide, lied to the FBI and now you're going to jail for a year. What do you do? If you're Jeff Smith, you do a media interview.
The decision defies all logical explanation, but so do the results.
From the tone of the interview, he sounded pretty upset that his cohorts got off with probation. Tony Messenger writes, "But there's a difference, he maintains, between admitting wrong and facing the consequences, and taking it a step further and agreeing to wear a wire against his friends. . . That's what Goldsmith wanted Smith to do. It's what Brown did to Smith . . . Smith said no, and as soon as he made that decision he knew he was probably going to jail."
We can't help but think that this is a really great time to take parting shots at your old colleagues. Smith could have turned himself in at any time and ended the charade, but he didn't want to. He has no one to blame but himself.
The article continues, "He [Jeff] broke the law. He lied. He lost his career and best friend, all for covering up his connection to allegations he was willing to make himself anyway."
Contrast that to one of Jeff Smith’s previous statements, in reference to a former campaign worker: “I'm alive and Artie's dead. Can we emphasize this was Artie's deal? . . . Artie would totally want us to throw him under the bus here.” What Jeff Smith did was disgraceful and morally repugnant – you can read a response from one of Artie Harris’ friends here.
Smith didn’t get what the prosecutors were asking for (15-21 months), but 12 months in jail and a $50,000 fine is a world apart from what Steve Brown received. Smith’s betrayal of the public trust lasted for years, and if it’s any indication of his contrition, it didn't take him long to get off message once he was sentenced.
Jeff Smith didn't use the interview to set the record straight or send a positive message to the community. He was using his last few minutes of media fame to slam his enemies.
We're ready to see him get escorted out of the spotlight.
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