It's the Arrogance, Stupid

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:03:35 +0000 – By Lis WiehlFOX News Legal Analyst/Former Federal Prosecutor/Author, "Face of Betrayal"

Former California Congressman Gary Condit, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and former Wall Street big wig Bernie Madoff -- what's the common thread linking all three of these men? To my mind, they're all criminals. But as my kids would say, it's that "in your face" attitude, that arrogance, that really gets to me. As a former federal prosecutor, I'll take the so-called "blue collar" criminal anytime -- the kind of crook that realizes getting caught is part of the cost of doing business --not these "white shoe, white collar" gentlemen. For them, getting away with lying to cops investigating the disappearance of a young female intern or selling a Senate seat or stealing billions from charities is just a game of cat and mouse . . . and guess who's the mouse?

"It is unfortunate than an insatiable appetite for sensationalism blocked so many from searching for the real answers for so long. I had always hoped to have the opportunity to tell my side of the story, but too many were prepared not to listen."

Please. This guy danced around, no, liedto the police about an adulterous affair with his missing intern. And, even if he had nothing to do with Chandra's death, lying to cops during an investigation is criminal.

Now that Chandra's alleged killer has been found, people are pointing fingers at the D.C. cops investigating the case 8 years ago. They say the cops bungled the job back then by concentrating their efforts on Condit. But they're wrong -- the cops were completely right to focus on Condit, someone who not only lied about having an affair with her but covered up evidence as well. If only he'd come clean, maybe law enforcement could have refocused their inquiries. How dare he make the police and the media scapegoats for what must be his own personal demons?

Fast forward to Bernie Madoff, now sitting in a cell. Before he entered his guilty plea he was "cruelly" confined to his multi-million dollar penthouse, complaining of the horrid treatment at the hands of the government (that is, only being able to order takeout from certain restaurants where the foie gras was not seared to the perfect temperature). Ask most Americans, we'd like that kind of home confinement.

Finally, there's former Governo Rod Blagojevich. May the world's smallest violin play for him. He blames the entire Chicago political system for his situation. Instead of the now infamous "the twinkies made me do it defense," it's the "politics as usual made me do it defense." And now the ex-governor is penning a book he's sold to publishers for six figures. He better write fast, because those annoying "Son of Sam" laws will kick in when he's convicted this fall. That law says you can't profit from your crimes once you're convicted. Meanwhile, I implore you: do not buy his book.

These so called white collar guys all think they're smarter than the rest of us --that they'll win us over with their charm, if, God forbid, they're every caught. And they have the federal criminal sentencing system backing them up: I mean a politician may lose his seat and a Ponzi artist may serve a few years in jail, but, compared to a blue collar bank robber facing ten years to life for a heist of a few thousand bucks, that's chicken feed. As for me, I'll take the bank robber anytime.

Editor's Note: Lis Wiehl's new novel, "Face of Betrayal: A Triple Threat Novel" hits bookstores and airports on April 7. In this new novel The Triple Threat Club sets out to resolve the disappearance of a young woman who interns for a powerful senator. For more information go to LisWiehlbooks.com.