More Bad News For Nifong

It seems that in some states there are consequences for politicians who overstep themselves.

The North Carolina bar filed an ethics complaint Thursday against the prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse case, accusing him of breaking four rules of professional conduct when speaking to the reporters about the sensational case.

The punishment for ethics violations can range from admonishment to disbarment.

I wish this was true everywhere. There isn't a lot to this story, and I wonder about the timing of this as well as other aspects of the Duke rape case.

Among the rules District Attorney Mike Nifong was accused of violating was a prohibition against making comments "that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public comdemnation of the accuser." In a statement, the bar said it opened a case against Nifong in March 30, a little more than two weeks after the
party where a 28-year-old student at North Carolina Central University hired to perform as a stripper said she was raped.

Running for re-election can be worrisome and there is nothing like a little "heightening" to heighten your chances of keeping your job. But if the ethics investigation against Nifong was opened at the end of March, why did it take so long for news of the investigation to become public? Why was the DNA evidence mismatch also withheld? Why were the rape charges not withdrawn until after the elections? These questions need to be addressed also.

Nifong did not immediately return a call for comment.

I imagine not.