Wolfowitz Hires Prominent Lawyer in Fight to Stay at World Bank

[spindrifter]

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Published: April 24, 2007

WASHINGTON, April 23 — Paul D. Wolfowitz, signaling anew that he will fight for his job as World Bank president, has enlisted a prominent lawyer who defended President Bill Clinton against accusations of sexual misconduct to help convince the bank’s board that Mr. Wolfowitz has done nothing to justify being ousted.

Robert S. Bennett, the lawyer selected by Mr. Wolfowitz, said in an interview that before the bank’s board acted on charges of ethical lapses, he and Mr. Wolfowitz wanted more time to prepare a case showing that the bank president had acted properly on all matters that the board is investigating.

“I am very worried about the rush to judgment,” Mr. Bennett said. “We just had a wonderful example of that in the Duke lacrosse case. I have reviewed the essential documents, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mr. Wolfowitz exercised good faith and that everything he did was in the best interests of the bank.”

It was unclear whether Mr. Wolfowitz intended to pay his legal fees himself or whether he would seek reimbursement from the bank. His latest sign of apparent determination to keep his job came as the furor over his record continued to spread.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/washington/24wolfowitz.html

[TomInTib]

1. "rush to judgement". Fuck off, Mr. Bennett.

Comparing this to the Duke case.

[spindrifter]

3. If that's his best spin,

Mr. B. needs a top. The Duke comparison is absolutely ludicrous. There was no "rush" to judgment here.

[Infomaniac]

2. What a snook!

Resign already you idiot. Any CEO in the private sector who behaved like this would be gone by now. Enough. Go. And, no, I don't think Wolfie will be paying his own legal fees.

[freethought]

4. A lawyer to keep his job?

Whatever happened to employee-at-will? Oh that's right, he's a neocon. He thinks "the rules" or "the law" does not apply to him.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

5. Just another *Co parasite unable to wean himself from the

bloody artery of greed...

[Gloria]

6. These people just don't know when it's time to leave....they have no shame....

[autorank]

7. Bob Bennet is a bright guy but who cares. It's not like Wolfie's a civil servant.

It's a bank, a consortium of nations, dominated by US. Somebody probably gave the word, lose this turkey, he's an embarrassment, interfering without business. Bye, bye Wolfiwitz. Ending in a tawdry scandal like this is so fitting.

Thanks for the post.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. The best thing for Wolfowitz to do is to pack it up and leave

The sooner the better and the more quietly the better.

He's only hurting his organization now; that is the last thing the president of an organization should be doing.