People of Faith CT

From the CT Citizens Action Group:

Months after Senator Lou Deluca was forced to resign from the State Senate for his relationship with convicted mobster James Galante, Senator Cappiello is looking to be promoted to Congress.

Cappiello has publicly tried to distance himself from his friend and convicted trash hauler but can't hide any longer, as the public has proof of why Galante bundled illegal contributions to Cappiello.

Tthe Hartford Courant released the text of a glowing letter written by Cappiello in support of Galante's character. Cappiello wrote that he was "proud to call Jim my friend", detailing his long history of friendship with the convicted trash hauler that led to Cappiello accepting illegal campaign contributions and thanking him with a gift of wine.

Will the public ever learn the details of the undeniable friendship between Cappiello and Galante? Cappiello's refusal to come clean begs the question of how he expects residents to trust him in Washington.

The timeline is clear - Cappiello accepted the illegal contributions in 2002, after Galante's first stint in jail. In the recently released letter, dated June 3, 2004, Cappiello admitted that he knew Galante had been previously incarcerated on tax charges.

Senator Deluca Resigns and Cappiello Seeks Promotion! Outraged?

Serious unanswered questions remain.

* Do you always give wine to campaign contributors especially those who give illegal contributions?
* When will you release all records of your communications with Galante and his associates?
* Why did you write the letter after you knew had plead guilty on tax charges?
* What other criminal enterprises do you have relationships with?

I suppose Cappiello thought he was doing the right thing when he spent hundreds of dollars on wine to thank his friend Galante for receiving his illegal contributions. (Hartford Courant, October 12, 2007) (Politico.com, November 5, 2007) (Hartford Courant, October 12, 2007)

Yet last week, state prosecutor Christopher Alexy told the press that Cappiello "didn't tell the whole story" the first time he spoke to the FBI about his relationship with Galante. And finally, in state court last week, Galante couldn't keep the lie going. He plead guilty to just one offense – the one involving Cappiello.

If Cappiello had done the right thing, he wouldn't have lied to the FBI, he wouldn't have accepted the illegal campaign contributions, and he wouldn't be covering his tracks now.