An Anne Arundel County jury yesterday [September 24, 1999] found former Maryland state Senator Larry Young innocent of all charges against him. Senator Young had been charged with bribery, extortion, and tax evasion by the tabloid Baltimore Sun (B.S.). A judge had previously thrown out the extortion charges as being totally without merit.
Senator Young was expelled from the Maryland Senate last year after the B.S. ran a series of front page editorials attacking him. Now that his innocence has been determined, it remains unclear whether he will return to the Senate.
Legally, Senator Young does not have to be guilty of anything to be expelled from the Senate. The Senate itself has the exclusive right to admit or expel members elected by the citizens of the state. In order to retake his seat, Young will have to be reelected. As yet he has not made his political intentions known.
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Meanwhile, the B.S. began its campaign of damage control, attempting to "blame" the jury's verdict on the prosecutors, and on "confusion" at the trial. The B.S., known statewide as the "fish paper," saw its credibility sink to a new low during its year long campaign to force President Clinton from office during 1998. Last year the tabloid ran a series of front page editorials attacking the President's sex life, attempting to create a "negative impression" of Mr. Clinton, then argued that whether or not he was guilty, he should be forced from office because the public had a "negative impression" of him. The technique ultimately failed, leaving the once great paper with zero credibility among voters. The B.S. used a similar tactic against Senator Young, pressuring the Senate leadership into expelling him by threatening to attack any politician who opposed them. Why the B.S. chose this particular time to take on Young remains unclear. One can only assume that the Senator refused to follow a direct order from the paper's publishers. Insubordination by politicians in the state of Maryland is rarely tolerated by the B.S. For a detailed analysis of the "reporting" techniques of the B.S., click here. |