We saw him as someone who would be a tough, but fair prosecutor — a reformer of a criminal justice system that badly needed reform especially for African Americans, Latinos and other minorities. We believed that Williams would be a strong defender for the rights of law-abiding citizens.
He failed.
We now call for Williams to resign or take an unpaid leave of absence until charges against him are resolved in court.
Williams has already said that he will not run for a third term. Seven Democrats and a Republican are now running for his job.
He made the announcement not to seek re-election after he belatedly reported on ethics forms last year that he had accepted more than $160,000 in gifts or services from friends, including a new roof on his home, $21,000 in flights and a family stay in Key West, Fla., at the home of a city defense lawyer. The filings, which came after the FBI started investigating, cost him a record $62,000 in city fines.
Williams, who makes $175,000 a year in his job as the city’s top prosecutor, poorly managed personal finances became public and his love life made headlines when a girlfriend vandalized his city car outside his home.
When Williams announced last month that he would not run for a third term, he said he regretted “mistakes in my personal life and in my personal financial life.”
Williams admits he took more than $100,000 in luxury trips, gifts and cash while in office as he went through an expensive divorce. However, his lawyer vowed they would fight charges that he promised any legal breaks in return, a quid pro quo that would render the gifts bribes.
But in light of the indictment announced this week, Williams’ decision not to seek re-election is no longer enough. He needs to step down immediately. He has disgraced his office enough.
Williams pleaded not guilty to federal bribery and extortion charges on Wednesday.
Williams should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. His defense lawyer Michael Diamondstein is right when he said there should not be a rush to judgment.
“Simply because the government makes explosive allegations in a complaint doesn’t mean they are going to prove it in a court of law,” Diamondstein said after the arraignment.
But we already know enough and he has already admitted to wrongdoing. There is enough evidence presented for Williams to step down.
He is accused of taking five-star Caribbean trips, free flights and $9,000 in cash from a businessman who sought help with a friend’s criminal case. The man, whose company sold prepaid phone cards, also sought his help bypassing enhanced airport security during frequent overseas trips, authorities said.
“I need the info … case number, agent, anything so I can write a letter to the correct person of supervisory authority,” Williams texted the businessman, a foreign national born in the Middle East. “I want there to be a letter in your file from the D.A. of Philadelphia.”
We agree with Mayor Jim Kenney who called it “deeply shameful” that Williams “has been implicated in such a flagrant violation of the law.”
“At a time when our citizens’ trust in government is at an all-time low, it is disheartening to see yet another elected official give the public a reason not to trust us,” said Kenney, a fellow Democrat. “That this comes at the head of our justice system is even more troubling.”
Williams was released on a $50,000 bond after a brief hearing. He was fingerprinted by the FBI and surrendered his passport. No trial date was set. He cannot leave eastern Pennsylvania without permission.
Williams, 50, is the city’s first Black district attorney. He has deeply disappointed this African-American newspaper that supported him and the many African-American citizens who voted for him.
African Americans are disproportionally the victims of crime and need an advocate who will protect them from harm — from violent street criminals to abusive police officers.
The disappointment over Williams is not because he has brought “shame on the race.” This antiquated idea is an unfair and unacceptable burden that must be totally rejected. The failure of a politician, celebrity or any other public figure is for them to bear alone. To suggest or accept the notion that the failure of an individual is a reflection of their ethnic group is an acceptance of bigotry and racism.
Williams failed citizens who sought and hungered for real change in the district attorney’s office and who deserved a fair-minded, competent and ethical district attorney.
https://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/seth-williams-should-step-down/article_77c341f1-c357-5045-a749-498798978d64.html
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