Fattah gets favorable ruling in advance of trial
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah can continue to publicly defend his record in Congress and question the motives of prosecutors as he prepares for a May trial on corruption charges, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah can continue to publicly defend his record in Congress and question the motives of prosecutors as he prepares for a May trial on corruption charges, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Government lawyers had argued that the Philadelphia Democrat's recent statements were an attempt to taint the jury pool. They also suggested he intended to present a defense that ignored the facts of his case.
U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III called such concerns premature in an opinion, but left open the possibility of revisiting the issue closer to Fattah's trial date.
"The trial is not scheduled to begin until May 2, 2016," he wrote. "We are a long way from that day. It is not now possible to know what, if any, specific evidence the defendants will seek to introduce or what arguments they will make."
Fattah is accused of accepting bribes and raiding his campaign fund, charities he founded, and federal grants for money to pay off debts.
The congressman has repeatedly denied the charges, and questioned the tactics and tone of prosecutors and FBI agents pursuing the case against him.
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