Today, Friday, July 6, 2007, "The Border Observer" ran an article entitled, "Corruption Carrousel." In that article, I am quoted as saying, amongst other things that, "If illegal acitivity was going on at the county, the attorneys should be the first to be prosecuted. The prosecution should start with the County Attorney himself, Jose Rodriguez, in addition to the Assitant County Attorney assigned to oversee daily activities of the Court, Lee Shapleigh..." I want the record to be very clear in that I did not make this and some of the other comments attributed to me.
The only comments I have made on the FBI Investigation are to be found on this website in the blog I wrote on June 16, 2007 entitled, "Jaime Esparza and the FBI Investigation." Here is what I had to say in its entirety on the subject. Any other language imputed to me in the Border Observer outside of the following is not mine.
"First of all Jose Rodriguez represents the county and its officials in civil matters. He advises Commissioner's Court, reviews and enters into and signs contracts on behalf of the county and represents county entities as well as individuals when they are sued. For example, when Jaime Esparza is sued (which is often) it is Jose Rodriguez' attorneys (usually attorney Anabelle Perez) who represent Esparza in the suits. Jose Rodriguez is also a prosecutor on criminal matters. He prosecutes juvenile cases and all of the hot check cases and deceptive trade practices and illegal dumping cases. Rodriguez is now donning his prosecutor's hat in all of this FBI business and saying that he is going to investigate as well. Investigate what, I am not sure. Is he going to investigate himself? Is he going to investigate his own clients, i.e. County Judge Anthony Cobos, Commissioners Teran and Sarinana, District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez, or contracts that he himself reviewed and entered into on behalf of the county? If these contracts were illegal then why did Rodriguez sign them? One of Mr. Rodriguez' primary responsibilties and duties as an attorney is to advise Commissioner's Court in advance, prior to, that is, whether a contract is legal or not. Naturally that includes reading it, understanding it, the process to award it and conducting his own investigation into it prior to signing it. So if the contracts later on turn out to be illegal, who is at fault? What do we think of attorney's who later say, "I didn't know?" Should Rodriguez be conducting his own investigation since he did sign them? Should Rodriguez be involved at all since the FBI investigation supposedly regards Luther Jones who supported and backed the only opponent Rodriguez has ever had, Rick Porras, and to whom Rodriguez nearly lost. Is this reasonable behavior on the part of Rodriguez? "
I want the reocrd to be clear as to what I have said and most importantly I have not called for an investigation into Ms. Lee Shapleigh for whom I have great respect as an attorney. Ms. Shapleigh has a sterling reputation and I do not and have never attributed political machinations to the legal advice she has rendered to the Court. Lee Shapleigh is above reproach.
I have sent this to the Border Observer so that they may run a proper correction.
The only comments I have made on the FBI Investigation are to be found on this website in the blog I wrote on June 16, 2007 entitled, "Jaime Esparza and the FBI Investigation." Here is what I had to say in its entirety on the subject. Any other language imputed to me in the Border Observer outside of the following is not mine.
"First of all Jose Rodriguez represents the county and its officials in civil matters. He advises Commissioner's Court, reviews and enters into and signs contracts on behalf of the county and represents county entities as well as individuals when they are sued. For example, when Jaime Esparza is sued (which is often) it is Jose Rodriguez' attorneys (usually attorney Anabelle Perez) who represent Esparza in the suits. Jose Rodriguez is also a prosecutor on criminal matters. He prosecutes juvenile cases and all of the hot check cases and deceptive trade practices and illegal dumping cases. Rodriguez is now donning his prosecutor's hat in all of this FBI business and saying that he is going to investigate as well. Investigate what, I am not sure. Is he going to investigate himself? Is he going to investigate his own clients, i.e. County Judge Anthony Cobos, Commissioners Teran and Sarinana, District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez, or contracts that he himself reviewed and entered into on behalf of the county? If these contracts were illegal then why did Rodriguez sign them? One of Mr. Rodriguez' primary responsibilties and duties as an attorney is to advise Commissioner's Court in advance, prior to, that is, whether a contract is legal or not. Naturally that includes reading it, understanding it, the process to award it and conducting his own investigation into it prior to signing it. So if the contracts later on turn out to be illegal, who is at fault? What do we think of attorney's who later say, "I didn't know?" Should Rodriguez be conducting his own investigation since he did sign them? Should Rodriguez be involved at all since the FBI investigation supposedly regards Luther Jones who supported and backed the only opponent Rodriguez has ever had, Rick Porras, and to whom Rodriguez nearly lost. Is this reasonable behavior on the part of Rodriguez? "
I want the reocrd to be clear as to what I have said and most importantly I have not called for an investigation into Ms. Lee Shapleigh for whom I have great respect as an attorney. Ms. Shapleigh has a sterling reputation and I do not and have never attributed political machinations to the legal advice she has rendered to the Court. Lee Shapleigh is above reproach.
I have sent this to the Border Observer so that they may run a proper correction.