Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Friday, August 12, 1983
Investigator leaves, but Richardson says damage already done
By Jim East
Phoenix Staff Writer
An investigator for District Attorney Gerald Hunter left the U.S. District Courthouse Thursday afternoon, but no
t before a federal prosecutor said the investigator had damaged the government’s case against two state lawmakers.
Investigator Dave Williams said Hunter asked him to stop attending the vote fraud trial o House Speaker Dan Draper and House Majority Floor Leader Joe Fitzgibbon. Williams has been at the courthouse since Tuesday.
Williams had been taking notes on testimony concerning state election law violations in Adair and Sequoyah counties. Hunter is the state prosecutor for those counties.
Williams said he informed Hunter that U.S. Attorney Gary Richardson had accused Williams of “intimidating “ government witnesses by his presence in the courtroom.
Richardson said witnesses were not giving complete testimony because Hunter said on Tuesday that he likely would prosecute persons who admit violating state election laws.
Some government witnesses agreed to testify against Draper and Fitzgibbon after Richardson’s office promised not to charge them with federal crimes. Richardson has no authority in state courts.
Williams said Hunter was “disturbed that Richardson made the accusations without contacting him. Richardson said he tried to contact him Wednesday night.
Hunter, who is attending a state district attorney’s convention in Ponca City, could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Even though Williams left the courthouse, Richardson still wasn’t happy.
“The damage is already done by what Hunter has said he’s going to do,” Richardson said.
In a related development, Muskogee County District Attorney Drew Edmondson said he is interested in trial testimony about possible election law violations in Muskogee County.
“I’ll make a request of the U.S. attorney for information of state election violations in Muskogee County,” said Edmondson, who also is in Ponca City.
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