Attorney John Morgan apparently has developed a real taste for buying politicians. First he bags former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, now he picks up the Kentucky Speaker of the House, Greg Stumbo.
That's right. Democrat Stumbo's on board at multistate personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, and his TV commercials have been airing all over Kentucky for the past month.
Said Stumbo, "Theyve been nice enough to allow me to perform my public duties while working on cases.
Unlike Charlie when Morgan took him on, Stumbo's political career is still active. Morgan isn't taking much of a risk. Stumbo actually practiced law before he entered politics. If the speaker can't help his boss in Frankfort, at least he knows his way around a courtroom. Think about it: Morgan's Florida manpower investment might have been up in smoke if Charlie -- with no lawyerly fallback position -- hadn't agreed to run for his old job.
Stumbo told the Louisville Courier-Journal, as a citizen legislator he saw no reason why he shouldn't return to being an active plaintiffs attorney and making the sales pitch for his new employer on television.
The C-J's Oct. 17 story is headlined, "Injured in an Accident? Call the Speaker."
By all accounts, Stumbo's colleagues in the Kentucky Legislature are already crying foul over a conflict of interest, though it's largely happening within the Legislature's inner circle. A couple of months ago the speaker was opposed to medical marijuana. Now, suddenly, he's seen the light, even mentioned his change of heart at the same time he announced his new job.
He'll be supporting medical marijuana legislation now, and by the way, Kentucky, it has nothing to do with his new employer's drive to get a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot to legalize the weed for medical use, or to manipulate voter turnout.
Stumbo told the Courier-Journal he only changed his mind after talking to parents of autistic children who say medical marijuana can help them. In fact, both Morgan and Stumbo have confirmed the subject never came up in any of their conversations.
Kentucky Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson has something to say about the new Morgan-Stumbo alliance, as you can imagine.By advertising as a lawyer for a personal injury firm, Robertson said, hes sending a clear message with these ads that hes not a friend of business. And he said, Greg Stumbos about-face on the medical marijuana front shows his positions on issues seem to follow the money that flows into his personal bank account.
Though Stumbo told the C-J hes not sure if Morgan & Morgan plans to use him in any more ads, Morgan confirmed he most certainly does. In fact, he said he plans to use Stumbo in some of the firms Kentucky ads until I die.
Interesting that Morgan believes people find lawyer politicians so trustworthy. He said he used Stumbo in the ad, because people know him, people trust him, people like him.
Morgan, considered a "signature" donor to Democratic candidates, seems to grow fonder and fonder of personal political involvement. Certainly it should come as no surprise. State legislatures are where many of the battles are won and lost for his industry-sized personal injury law practice.
Buying politicians gives Morgan a two-fer. He gets highly placed political figures -- in a manner of speaking, they're wearing a sandwich board and shilling for his business. And he gets a shot at easy influence-peddling in the corridors of power -- a kind of business insurance that no one else except government leadership can provide him.
A shrewd man, John Morgan.
I look for him to buy more populist politicians with law degrees.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423.
