Why did Duke Cunningham stop cooperating with investigators? Because federal prosecutors rushed into the sentencing phase of his trial, leaving him no motivation to assist them in prosecuting other wrong-doers.
“If I were Duke Cunningham, frankly, I wouldn’t be cooperating,” Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor and the Executive Director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told me. “They sentenced him too fast — once you’re sentenced, you’re done. There’s no more carrot and stick.”
Meanwhile, in NH, the US Justice Department is racing to sentence phone-jamming felon James Tobin, cutting off his motivation to testify against others who may have played a significant role. (Senate Majority has more, including sentencing recommendations from the US Attorney, Tobin’s defense team, and the NH Democratic Party.)