The battle to see which Republican presidential candidate can appoint people to key positions just before they are exposed in career-ending personal transgressions or criminal acts, or both, just keeps chugging along. Tonight, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani tries to get back in the game. But after Mitt Romney’s success with Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), it’s just hard for the others to compete.
The thin gruel Giuliani’s come back with looks like a sign of how Romney now dominates the contest.
Tonight, Barry S. Edward, organizer of Rudy’s Reagan Day Dinner fundraiser in Pinellas County, stepped down from his position after his criminal record of extorting sex and trafficking in stolen state computers was revealed.
Edwards called the 1998 arrests “old news”, but decided to step down because “I’m not relevant and I shouldn’t be the story.”
Explaining the incidents, the Miami Herald writes …
The two criminal incidents involving Edwards were unrelated, and occurred within months of each other in 1998.
According to a Florida State University arrest affidavit: Edwards was first charged after a 19-year-old FSU political science intern claimed Edwards, then an adjunct professor, plied him with beers, trolled briefly for prostitutes, watched ”heterosexual” pornography and then exhorted him to masturbate in a game.
The intern said Edwards threatened him with bad grades if he didn’t ”get into it.” He declined to press charges. Edwards said the claims were ”lies” but he didn’t ”want to revisit it.” Edwards was fired from FSU.
Shortly after his extortion arrest, state Capitol police then arrested Edwards on charges of theft, burglary and dealing with stolen property after the cops said he stole at least $10,000 worth of computer equipment from offices of the Florida Legislature.
The student later decided not to press charges and Edwards was allowed to plead ‘no contest’ in the computers case.
