What DA Esparza and Ramon Bracamontes at the EP Times Have in Common

As I wrote on an earlier Blog, one of the reasons why I invested up front in a billboard on I-10 is because I knew I had to get the bulk of my message out myself. The Spanish language newspaper, El Diario, channel Seven, channel Four and KFOX have all informed the electorate that they will have a choice in 2008 for the District Attorney's race for the first time in 16 years and that I am running. Channel 9 and the El Paso Times, who are partners, are the only two news entities that have not done a news story on my candidacy. The question then becomes how did the two of them miss what the majority of El Pasoans now know? Why would a supposed news outlet not inform its readers or viewers of a very contested local race? After my billboard went up, El Paso Times reporter, Tammy Fonce-Olivas called my office for an interview. I was in court but I instructed my staff to tell Ms. Fonce-Olivas to fax her questions and I would fax my answers. To date, Ms. Fonce-Olivas has never printed the answers that I spent a good deal of my time preparing and faxing back to her? Why not?

Ms. Fonce-Olivas called me and received my faxed answers on Thursday, February 1, 2007, the very same day my billboard went up. The next day I published the written interview on my blog. On the following Monday, my secretary called to tell me that yet another El Paso Times reporter, this time a Ramon Bracamontes had called to invite me to do a "sit down for a big spread on the campaign in Sunday's paper." He told her they really didn't want to do the faxed thing. I told my secretary how sweet of Mr. Bracamontes to want to cover my campaign. I also asked her if he had told her that his son had worked for my opponent? She said he didn't mention that.

I then wrote Mr. Bracamontes asking him questions about his son working for my opponent and what the rules of journalistic ethics have to say about disclosing that to an interviewee. I told him that I had to deal with the Times and its reporters at arms length due to their behavior in the past and the fact that they are currently being sued by numerous individuals for libel and defamation. I wrote him that I was very concerned about their ethics and could not ignore a pattern of behavior that Times reporters have displayed. Mr. Bracamontes called back, did not write back, and left a very strange verbal message with my secretary. He told her that his son is named Aaron and that he was withdrawing his request for an interview, that he had no interest in this race and some other reporter would be assigned to it. To date, no other reporter from the Times has requested an interview.

What happened to Mr. Bracamontes? He wants to do an interview. He doesn't want to do an interview. He can be fair. He can't be fair. He has an interest in the race. He doesn't have an interest in the race. He has a conflict of interest. He doesn't have a conflict of interest.

I wrote Mr. Bracamontes a second letter and asked him all about his troubles. I also pointed out to him that he and my opponent share the same values. Neither one thinks he has to disclose a conflict of interest unless busted on it, that there is no conflict of interest unless you are busted on it. I also pointed out to him that this type of "ethics" displayed by him and shared by my opponent is what has inspired me to run for DA. I explained to Mr. Bracamontes that my opponent has found himself in a peck of trouble over not dislosing conflicts of interest and that this is why the DA's office needs to be swept clean and that is why I am running. I also explained to Mr. Bracamontes that this type of behavior harms our community, most especially, the underpriveleged who, in a courtroom setting, would have fewer means to combat a DA who doesn't disclose conflicts of interest. What is interesting is that my opponent is training a whole new generation of attorneys to behave just like him. What will we be able to expect of the Aarons of the world? Birds of a feather?

Tomorrow you will be able to read these letters for yourself in their entirety right here on my website.

This week I will also blog on how the above behavior translates into bad decisions on the part of prosecutors, wrongful prosecutions of innocent people and ultimately, very embarrassing scenarios in court for the prosecutors.