October 2003

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Meg Scott Phipps, the former North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner, was convicted today in state court of perjury and obstruction of justice charges stemming from her election campaign in 2000. I don't intend to speak to her guilt or innocence; frankly, I don't know what I believe about that. What I am going to comment on is the spiteful, vindictive air that has blown toward Ms. Phipps all through this proceeding.

It has been apparent from the first whispered allegations against Ms. Phipps that there were quite a few people who wanted to see her suffer not because of anything she did, but because she was the daughter of a former Governor and the granddaughter of another former Governor. Rarely did anyone seem disappointed in her for her own alleged actions.

Not many people wanted to comment on the notion that Ms. Phipps, an attorney and former administrative law judge, perhaps should have exercised better judgment than to allow even the appearance of impropriety (or a coverup thereof) in her campaign.

The above-mentioned quite a few people heaped the perceived sins of her ancestors on her head, to the point that the actual charges against her were sometimes not at all clear. If one had not been paying attention to the details, one could have gotten the impression that she was being brought to trial for being the daughter of Robert Scott and the granddaughter of Kerr Scott.

I don't have any comments about the conduct of the trial. I will tell you one tidbit about the trial's starting date. In her Ag. Commissioner position, Ms. Phipps would have presided over the North Carolina State Fair this year, as she had done through her term. The trial's starting date? Opening day of the Fair.

Ms. Phipps will be arraigned next month on federal charges stemming from from the same 2000 campaign. I hope spite and vindictiveness have other plans that day.