The Ghosts of Black and Decker

Another ironic flourish today, this one at the Carolina Journal, where John Hood slams Jim Black in a column about redistricting, while Don Carrington details the agony of Michael Decker, who proposed the bribe that eventually brought the House down.

“I want people to know that I knew what I did was wrong, but I was away from the Lord, and it got easy to lie. I want people to know the shame I have brought on God, man, and my family,” Decker said. He said he couldn’t continue lying and wanted people to learn from his mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Decker’s travails began after the results of the November 2002 general election left the House with 61 Republican members and 59 Democratic members. Decker, a Republican, approached House Speaker Jim Black and agreed to accept $50,000 and other gifts in return for switching parties and supporting Black.

Decker said he first realized he might be in legal trouble in February 2006. “I thought I could continue to lie to the grand jury because I thought I had hidden everything. Then I began to realize I had to tell the truth. I was not sleeping, was fearful, and had anxiety attacks that seemed like a heart attack. God was chasing me.”

Too bad George Bush has no such pangs of conscience.

Go read Carrington's whole interview with Decker. It's one of the few really interesting things he's ever written.

At sentencing, federal prosecutors argued that Decker should get substantial consideration because his cooperation was instrumental in exposing Black. The judge did not allow much credit for Decker’s assistance. “I would have preferred a lesser sentence for my cooperation, but I accepted the judge’s decision. I proposed the bribe,” Decker said.