Mecham Again Held Tampering in Trial

A day after allegedly trying to telephone his ex-bodyguard in mid-testimony, Gov. Evan Mecham was accused Wednesday of tampering again in his ongoing impeachment trial by writing to the state senators sitting as judge and jury.

The governor sent a five-page statement challenging the timing and fairness of the historic proceeding to each of the 30 legislators in the GOP-controlled Senate.

“This communication is not before us as evidence and I question the appropriateness of what may be an outside attempt to influence our decisions here,” Sen. Jesus Higuera, a Tucson Democrat, said in disclosing the Mecham memorandum at the end of Tuesday’s session.

Confirms Sending Copy

Mecham’s staff in nearby Glendale confirmed that the impeached governor had sent the senators a copy of a statement he issued at a press conference Saturday.

Tanner Brown, spokesman for the beleaguered Republican, said Mecham would have no immediate comment about the propriety of his action.

“I think he kind of wants to check with counsel and see what the problem was,” Brown said.

“It doesn’t sound like he was trying to influence anyone. He may have just wanted to pass onto the Legislature what he said to the press.”

The press conference statement reiterated Mecham’s appeal to delay the impeachment trial until after his criminal trial, now scheduled for March 22.

‘A Star Chamber’

It also questioned whether Mecham’s rights to due process were being violated and whether the Senate “is really empowered to be a Star Chamber.”

On Tuesday, Mecham placed a call to Frank Martinez while the former member of his official security detail was on a lunch break from testifying at the impeachment trial as the prosecution’s first witness.

Martinez refused to take the call. The governor’s office later said Mecham had made a Freudian slip and had actually meant to place the call to another officer.

The country’s first gubernatorial impeachment trial since 1931 continued at a snail’s pace Wednesday as Martinez’ commanding officer spent the day on the stand.

The Senate is currently hearing arguments on the first of three articles of impeachment--obstruction of justice.

Order on Death Threat

That charge involves an allegation that the Department of Public Safety received an order from Mecham not to cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation of a reported death threat by one Mecham aide against another.

In testimony Wednesday, Lt. Beau Johnson said his cooperation with the attorney general’s office cost him his job as the head of Mecham’s security detail. The governor’s security is handled by the Department of Public Safety.

Mecham defense attorney Fred Craft attempted to portray the death threat allegation as “a political matter” rather than a criminal one.

Craft told the Senate earlier that Mecham’s legal woes are the consequences of a “mutiny” by staff members with political motives.

“Didn’t you also believe this could be a political matter?” Craft asked Johnson regarding the death-threat report.

Stressed Importance

“I don’t recall that that crossed my mind,” Johnson replied. The lieutenant said he stressed to the governor and key aides that the purported threat was a serious criminal matter because it was directed against a grand jury witness.

“I told him it was a felony to tamper with a witness,” Johnson said.

The article of impeachment involving obstruction of justice is predicated on the governor’s knowing a felony was involved, Craft said.

Mecham has denied any wrongdoing. He has said he was not fully informed about the alleged threat by prison construction chief Lee Watkins against legislative liaison Donna Carlson. He also has said he did not know it involved a felony.

Watkins allegedly told a friend of Carlson that she might “take a long boat ride” and disappear if she didn’t stop talking to the grand jury about a $350,000 campaign loan Mecham allegedly concealed.

Impeachable Offenses

The loan and the alleged misuse of $80,000 from the governor’s protocol fund are the other impeachable offenses of which Mecham is accused.

If convicted by a two-thirds majority of the state Senate, Mecham would be permanently removed from office and possibly barred from ever running again in Arizona.