Former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan on Wednesday was the target of a vitriolic diatribe from a Boston city council member who was thrown out of office that day, The Boston Globe reported.
Chuck Turner (Facebook)
Chuck Turner, who was expelled by an 11-1 city council vote, said Sullivan brought a corruption case against him because he is black. A federal jury in October found Turner guilty on charges that he took a bribe in his district office in 2007 and lied to the FBI about the transaction. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 25.
Turner likened the struggle he and Boston’s blacks face to the fight former Mayor James Curley and the Irish led against the city’s establishment.
“The purpose was to take us down because they saw the power of communities of color rising just like the Irish power rose,’’ Turner said, according to the newspaper. “Mayor Curley would be ashamed of Michael Sullivan as an Irishman for doing this to black people.’’
Michael Sullivan (The Ashcroft Group LLC)
Sullivan, who served as U.S. Attorney from 2001 to 2009, said Turner’s accusations are “wild and false.” He defended the successful prosecution of Turner, saying the expelled councilman didn’t live up to his obligations as an elected official.
“He has certainly let his constituents down,” said Sullivan, a partner at The Ashcroft Group LLC in Boston.
