Posted by This story gets more and more interesting.
Today’s AP reveals that Anthony Castaldo’s defense lawyer claimed that the perjury charge against his client stemmed from his client’s refusal to “do political things” for his boss, Attorney General Troy King.
The attorney general special agent worked for King’s 2006 general election opponent John Tyson for three years. Castaldo said King asked him around late 2005 for information that could be used against Tyson in the campaign.
Castaldo said he refused and was reassigned from his duties as a special investigator for King.
King spokesman Chris Bence denied the accusation.
The odd detail of the Birmingham News story linked here in a previous post that I could not figure out was why wasn’t the AG’s office circling the wagons with Castaldo on the perjury charge? Right or wrong, the stereotypical behavior when law enforcement is accused of mishandling an investigation is that the accused department stands together to defend its own.
The charge here was a misdemeanor without enough evidence to convince a jury, but as Wheeler at Alablawg suggested, it sounded like the department was throwing Castaldo under the bus. From the News article: “Several investigators and lawyers from the attorney general’s office testified Tuesday that they believed Castaldo changed his story.”
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[...] That testimony does make it appear that Troy King’s office had it in for Castaldo. Castaldo’s defense was that he was being persecuted because he wouldn’t help King with information that could be used in the AG race last fall against John Tyson, King’s opponent and Castaldo’s former boss. The jury acquitted in “about 45 minutes.” [...]
[...] You may remember the story of Anthony Castaldo, an investigator for Attorney General Troy King, who was charged with perjury and quickly acquitted. Castaldo claimed that the charges stemmed from his refusal to give Troy King any information that the Republican King could use against Democratic opponent John Tyson in the 2006 Attorney General race. (Castaldo had once worked for John Tyson.) As Castaldo’s lawyer said, Castaldo was “refusing to do political things” for King and his staff. [...]
[...] (If he still had professional drummer Tony Castaldo working for him, they could really rock the office.) [...]