WSJ Reports Trent Lott Under Investigation
Marsha Thompson
There are reports that former U.S. Senator Trent Lott is under investigation in connection with an on-going judicial bribery probe. Today's Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal agents are investigating whether Trent Lott knowingly played a role in an alleged conspiracy to influence a Mississippi judge. The national newspaper attributes their report to "people familiar with the situation." WLBT News was unable to contact an FBI spokesperson in Jackson for comment Thursday morning. Indicted lawyer Timothy Balducci testified Wednesday in Federal Court in Oxford, that Lott's brother-in- law Dickie Scruggs had tried to use Lott to influence rulings made by Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter. He said in turn, Lott would recommend Judge DeLaughter for a seat on the federal bench. This involved a dispute over millions of dollars in asbestos legal fees. Lott is not charged with any wrong doing in the case. He unexpectedly resigned his Senate post just two days before Scruggs was indicted in November. We have not been able to contact Mr. Lott. It has been previously reported that Mr. Lott made a courtesy call to Judge DeLaughter. On Wednesday, Balducci also testified there was a federal judgeship still open when DeLaughter ruled in the case in August 2006. He has denied receiving any bribe. Balducci also talked of seeing many "draft copes" of judicial orders before DeLaughter entered them. Testimony that DeLaughter had allegedly done this outraged one of William Robert Wilson's attorney, Bill Kirksey of Jackson. Kirksey was at the hearing Wednesday. "Heretofore we have only known of one order given by Judge DeLaughter to the Scruggs legal team," Kirksey said. "Today we learned from Mr. Balducci that there were numerous orders, and according to Mr. Balducci, Mr. DeLaughter had been bribed." That, he pointed out, flies in the face of DeLaughter's insistence he was never influenced.