Democrats have such fondness for murders and criminals

Ex-Clinton Aide Looks to Death Row to Aid Her Defense

By ANN ZIMMERMAN And STEPHANIE SIMON

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—A former top aide to Bill Clinton, charged with trying to smuggle contraband to a death-row inmate, will ask a state court to allow a videotaped deposition of the man before he is executed.
The request, to be made Wednesday in Pine Bluff, is the latest twist in the case of Betsey Wright, an outspoken death-penalty opponent accused of trying to take tattoo needles tucked inside a bag of Doritos chips, as well as a pocketknife and a box cutter, into a high-security prison.
The videotaped deposition is necessary because her trial is set for May 25, several weeks after inmate Don William Davis is scheduled to be executed for a 1990 murder, said her lawyer, Jeff Rosenzweig. The defense said it believes Mr. Davis would testify that he didn't expect Ms. Wright to bring him anything during the visit.
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Betsey Wright denies wrongdoing.

Ms. Wright, Mr. Clinton's chief of staff while he served as Arkansas governor, said she simply stumbled into a prison contraband ring, Mr. Rosenzweig said.
Mr. Rosenzweig will also ask Circuit Judge Jodi Raines Dennis to grant the defense access to state Department of Correction files to look for information on contraband incidents involving prison vending machines, where Ms. Wright alleges she found the needle-laden bag of chips.
Prosecutors couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
During Mr. Clinton's successful run for the White House in 1992, Ms. Wright coined the phrase "bimbo eruptions" to refer to the allegations of extramarital affairs that dogged the candidate.
In recent years, Ms. Wright, 66 years old, has championed prisoners' rights and been a frequent visitor to death row.
State officials said that on May 22, a pocketknife, box cutter, tweezers and a Doritos bag containing 48 tattoo needles were found inside a clear plastic bag Ms. Wright had submitted for X-ray screening at the entrance to the Varner Supermax Unit south of Pine Bluff.
The pocketknife and box cutter were on Ms. Wright's key ring, and the tweezers were inside a pen. Ms. Wright told authorities she grabbed the pen by mistake and had found the Doritos bag in a vending-machine catch basin at the prison.
She was charged with 51 felony counts of attempting to furnish prohibited items in a correctional institution and faces a lengthy prison sentence. But people who have been found guilty of contraband smuggling in Arkansas typically have received probation, said Dina Tyler, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Correction.
"The tweezers are rubbish and as for the chips, she thought it was her lucky day finding a free bag," Mr. Rosenzweig said. "Instead, she inadvertently intercepted a smuggling operation."
In 2005, Ms. Wright had been suspected of trying to smuggle contraband into the prison and her visitation rights were suspended for six months. Mr. Rosenzweig said the incident was a misunderstanding.