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10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Joseph Russoniello.md
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@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ Russoniello maintained what was described as a "cozy relationship" with the [[Ce
### Significance
The decision not to prosecute Meneses occurred during a politically volatile period. The [[Boland Amendment]] had just cut off all CIA funding for the Contras in October 1984. Any scandal linking Contra directors—including [[Adolfo Calero]], [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]], Edgar Chamorro, and Frank Arana—to drug trafficking would likely have wiped out what little congressional support remained.[^1]
The decision not to prosecute Meneses occurred during a politically volatile period. The [[Boland Amendment]] had just cut off all CIA funding for the Contras in October 1984. Any scandal linking Contra directors - including [[Adolfo Calero]], [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]], Edgar Chamorro, and Frank Arana - to drug trafficking would likely have wiped out what little congressional support remained.[^1]
### Response to Rosenfeld's Exposes
When San Francisco Examiner reporter [[Seth Rosenfeld]] broke the [[Frogman Case|Frogman drug case]] story in spring 1986, exposing Contra drug connections, Russoniello mailed a four-page letter to the Examiner's editor calling the reporting "one of the most blatant attempts at contrived news-making we have witnessed in recent years." He insisted there was "absolutely no evidence of CIA involvement" and "no evidence to warrant the insinuation the defendants were connected to the Contras except. . .their own statements offered after the fact of arrest." Russoniello did not disclose that [[Carlos Cabezas]]—as a witness for his own office—had testified about selling dope for the Contras under oath in 1984, or that two high-ranking UDN-FARN officials had written letters to the court attesting to [[Julio Zavala|Zavala]]'s official Contra position.[^2]
When San Francisco Examiner reporter [[Seth Rosenfeld]] broke the [[Frogman Case|Frogman drug case]] story in spring 1986, exposing Contra drug connections, Russoniello mailed a four-page letter to the Examiner's editor calling the reporting "one of the most blatant attempts at contrived news-making we have witnessed in recent years." He insisted there was "absolutely no evidence of CIA involvement" and "no evidence to warrant the insinuation the defendants were connected to the Contras except. . .their own statements offered after the fact of arrest." Russoniello did not disclose that [[Carlos Cabezas]] - as a witness for his own office - had testified about selling dope for the Contras under oath in 1984, or that two high-ranking UDN-FARN officials had written letters to the court attesting to [[Julio Zavala|Zavala]]'s official Contra position.[^2]
When Senator [[John Kerry]]'s investigators sought records on Meneses and the Frogman case, Russoniello stonewalled. Kerry Committee lawyer [[Jack Blum]] said Russoniello "was as rabid a right-wing true believer as ever came down the road and who was bound and determined to prevent anyone from learning anything about that case. He and the Justice Department flipped out to prevent us from getting access to people, records, finding anything out about it." Blum said Kerry and Russoniello got into "a screaming match" over the telephone.[^2]