Curious journalism

It's a curious piece of journalism when the Washington Post uses a former Black Panther -- a 1960s urban terrorist organization for those with short memories-- now a maintenance worker, to examine Mayor Nagin's shortcomings during Katrina.

And then there is their use in the same article of Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard (left) as a source. You might remember him on Tim Russert's show with this story. (in tears)

And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.

No one mentioned that Aaron Boussard has an axe to grind.

Two more Jefferson Parish officials are being drawn into the corruption probe dubbed Operation Wrinkled Robe, according to a newspaper report. The Times-Picayune reports that investigators have issued subpoenas to Parish President Aaron Broussard and 24th District Judge Kernan "Skip" Hand.

More on Operation Wrinkled Robe and this from the cache at Google is an AP article dated August 27, 2005 from The Houma Courier:

Operation Wrinkled Robe investigation of corruption in the Jefferson Parish Courthouse.

Operation Wrinkled Robe has, in a little more than six years resulted in convictions of 14 defendants.

THESE are the kinds of people that the Washington Post and Tim Russert find credible? More

Giangrosso is the latest defendant to be sentenced in Wrinkled Robe, which has snared four other sheriff's deputies and state Judges Ronald Bodenheimer and Alan Green, among others, in a web of graft that Marcotte concocted to corner the Gretna bail bonds market. Marcotte and his sister, Lori Marcotte, also have pleaded guilty.

In the curious interconnections of Lousiana, there's more: Judge Green, who was convicted of mail fraud is a brother-in-law of U.S. Congressman William Jefferson. The Justice Dept. is looking at him, too. And they are looking closely at state District Judge Kernan Hand and his campaign chairman, Aaron Broussard.

Small wonder Broussard is so vehement about prosecuting the government. He shares that with the Washington Post.