Mitchell Wade: Cooperator ExtraordinaireThere’s a race on in the District of Columbia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office – who’s the more dangerous cooperator: Jack Abramoff or Mitchell Wade?
Abramoff, you’ve heard plenty about. But it’s time to start giving Mitch Wade his due. He brought down Duke Cunningham, supplying prosecutors with most of the information in Duke’s plea agreement. And we have Wade to thank for hookergate, since he was the one who told investigators that Brent Wilkes was supplying Duke and possibly others with prostitutes. It’s likely that Wade, continuing to dish on his old pal Brent Wilkes, was also behind the recent widening of the Cunningham investigation to other members of the Appropriations Committee.
Well, it looks like there’s a lot more where that came from. In a recent filing, prosecutors and Wade’s attorney have asked to postpone the preparation for Wade’s sentencing – he pled guilty back in February – because his cooperation is ongoing. In fact, it’s likely to “continue for quite some time,” according to prosecutors. As a result, they don’t even want to set a sentencing date when they meet with the judge as scheduled on August 21. If they get their wish, it’s unlikely that Wade will be sentenced until next year. And that gives him plenty of time to do all he can to lighten his sentence.
I think the smart money is on Mitchell Wade.
