Judge Orders Blankenship To Shut Up About How Democrats, Obama Persecuted Him
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — An outspoken critic of President Barack Obama, charged with conspiring to violate mine safety rules before a deadly explosion, is under orders not to tell jurors he's being persecuted by Democrats. The federal judge also warned former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship that safety rules are not on trial.
But Blankenship hasn't checked his Republican politics at the courtroom door, and three weeks into his trial, the coal boss's lawyers have found ways to repeatedly suggest to jurors that regulators targeted his company for political reasons. Blankenship, whose unabashed bankrolling of West Virginia Republicans once inspired a John Grisham novel, "The Appeal," was an active blogger before the trial, blaming the nation's problems on media liberals, unions, "greeniacs," and much of corporate America.
In front of the jury, Blankenship's multimillion-dollar defense team acknowledged his outspoken behavior. Attorney William Taylor said he had been "rude" and "insulting" as he increased Massey Energy's revenues to $2.3 billion in 2009. But Taylor suggested that U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors targeted Massey's mines after Obama took office, spending twice as long in Upper Big Branch in 2009 as in 2007, under President George W. Bush.
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Blankenship's attorneys had tried to get the case dismissed by arguing that U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, the son of the state's former Democratic Party chairman, pursued the charges at the behest of Blankenship's longtime foe, Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who was livid over being included in a video that sought to shift blame for the tragedy. Prosecutors responded that the idea that Blankenship "was charged because of a YouTube video is incredible," and that evidence of his crimes is "conclusive." Blankenship always was quick to write checks for West Virginia's Republican politicians. In 2004, he spent $3.5 million to oust a sitting state Supreme Court justice, effectively avoiding a $50 million verdict against Massey. In 2005, he spent $650,000 to defeat a bond issue prioritized by then-Gov. Joe Manchin. And in 2006, Blankenship spent $6 million in a failed attempt to flip the state Legislature from Democrat to Republican.
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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ab5cae9d94df4cd0bac92392282daf94/ordered-drop-politics-ex-coal-ceo-shows-views-trial
