Myers Changes Mind

The news is late-breaking, but I found a link. Barry Myers, always the bagman now and never the rising star anymore, has changed plea in the Tennessee Waltz investigation. He will plead guilty to two charges having to do with extortion and in exchange all the other charges (six nine, in all) will be dropped. I'll update with the specifics when I find them.

[Digression: I tried the Commercial Appeal website. They have a link, but it's wrong and forces you through registration before taking you to a 404 error page. I tried some obvious variations, but they didn't work either. If it gets fixed, I'll probably post it. Maybe.

It's working now. Nothing more to add to the story.]

I think the main thing is that you don't get these kinds of plea deals unless you give up a lot in return. Roscoe Dixon and Kathryn Bowers are probably sweating bullets tonight. Before the press slapped him with the "bagman" label, Myers was a protege of Dixon and Bowers. He was even in line to get run for Bowers' old House seat. If there was malfeasance, Myers would be the guy to know.

If they offered the deal now, prosecutors must be satisfied that his information is worthwhile. Whether this speeds up the handing down (up?) of indictments to more people -- rumored since the day Tennessee Waltz broke -- is an open question. I wouldn't want to be a Democratic leader tonight.

UPDATE MONDAY 11PM: All the television news stations have reports now, but there's no new information. The only extra that I've learned is what I posted in comments. Myers will cop to the conspiracy charges, which will strengthen the State's cases against Dixon and Bowers.

LeftWing Cracker sounds some fearful notes. He's worried about the Republican attack ads to come. That's true, but I'm quite sure the Democrats will find every impropriety Republicans commit, like in the post down below this, and blare those too. By the time the election rolls around, I think most Tenneesseans will sick of their State government and be ready to chuck all of them, lock, stock and barrel.

After all, saturated bombing only leaves scorched earth.

UPDATE MIDNIGHT MONDAY: Oops! Missed one. Darrell Phillips has some behind the scenes information, as well as the familiar "more indictments are coming" refrain.

UPDATE TUESDAY MORNING: Thaddeus Matthews offers some personal observations and a warning. Keep an eye on his blog today, as he's promising something about Harold Ford Jr later.