September 5, 2008

No Credibility

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen says the results of the Tennessee Highway Patrol's self-investigation of a politically-connected trooper's unauthorized background checks on hundreds of Tennesseans proves the agency can police itself. (Tennessean story here.)

Bredesen doesn't get it. Even if the THP investigation was fair and complete, it has no credibility. There is no foundation on which to rest belief in its results. The political ties between the trooper, the THP and the Bredesen administration, are too numerous, too complex and too corrupt.

The governor told us there were 182 victims of the unauthorized snooping. How do we know that's true? The governor told us the troopers' actions were not political - we know that's false given the fact that the trooper investigated a reporter who was investigating the administration's various THP-related scandals, and also investigated a fellow trooper who was suing the THP alleging his career path was hampered by political discrimination within the THP.

Until there is an outside probe, there is not one single fact asserted by the THP or by the governor in this scandal which has any credibility. Not one.

Update: More proof the dirt-digging by the Bredesen administration's favorite trooper wasn't political.

Update: Stacey Campfield isn't satisfied