St. Louis, MO – The Washington Post is reporting that former U. S. Senator and presumed Republican candidate (nominee?) for President, Fred Thompson, may have practiced law during a period of his life when he was out of office, according to sources inside BlogsForFredThompson.com.
The speculation is based on discoveries of Fred Thompson’s signature and name on court briefs in various Washington, DC. One of the briefs–a “friend of the court” brief– from August 1981 argues that citizens cannot be arrested for activities that are not against the law.
Alan Ruben, an ACLU executive, expressed concern at Thompson’s position in the 1981 brief. “If this is, in fact, Fred Thompson’s legal option, then I’d be very concerned about him as President. The position of this brief would, for instance, make it impossible to prosecute Scooter Libby and George Bush, since they haven’t violated any laws, per se. The government and civil rights groups must have the power to prosecute crimes against popular opinion, even when no law prohibits particular acts.”
The Post speculates that, if Thompson did practice law, he may be disqualified from seeking the White House.
Ed Morrissey has more at Heading Right.