What I Wish George Ryan had said.

Zorn has George Ryan's statement at his sentencing hearing up . I am a bit surprised he spent the time he did giving 'shout outs' to his legal team during the hearing, I think it also in one way shows on some level how he kind of misses what at least bothered some people about what he was charged with doing. I would have liked to have seen this. I know at some level this addresses things that were not 'in play' at the trial.

"Your honor I am sorry that my team created an environment where people felt they had to take and solicit bribes in order to pay for fund raising tickets to help fund my campaigns. That good people felt they had to break the law to fund my campaign was and is wrong. That people felt they needed to protect me and my reputation even if the truth had to be hidden was wrong and I was responsible for putting those people into those jobs.

I now realize that the pressure we put on people to raise money had real victims. People who committed crimes because they felt if they didn't find a way to pay for their tickets their livelihoods and their families futures were at risk. It lead to a chain reaction that put lives at risk and may have cost lives. We created this environment, and that was wrong. The goal of winning higher elective office was not worth that price. The loss of public trust was not even remotely worth that price"

OneMan