Federer cleared of Gephardt
assault charge

Bill Federer, author and congressional
candidate twice for Rep. Dick Gephardt’s Missouri seat, yesterday was cleared of assault charges leveled at him by a Gephardt campaign worker.

Federer, who nearly upset Gephardt in races in 1998 and again in 2000, says he was stalked by a Gephardt aide during a parade. But it was James J. Larrew, a Gephardt worker, who filed assault charges against Federer, who is known to WorldNetDaily readers
as the author of the daily feature ”American Minute.”

After a four day trial, a jury found Federer not guilty of the charge against him after only 25 minutes of deliberation.

“The moral of this story is that dirty political tricks don’t pay – they cost!” Federer said in reaction to the decision, pointing out that the case cost taxpayers “hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs, legal fees and county staff hours.”

Now Judicial Watch is pursuing a civil lawsuit on behalf of Federer against Gephardt alleging assault, civil rights violations, abuse of process and other civil wrongs. The lawsuit also names Gephardt 2000 campaign aides Joyce A. Aboussie and Larrew as defendants.

”A jury has spoken: Bill Federer is an innocent man, falsely accused by a Gephardt political operation that sought to put him in jail,” said Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry
Klayman. ”We will seek legal redress for Gephardt’s abuse of the legal system. We are extraordinarily pleased for Bill.”

In the wake of Gephardt’s recent decision not to seek re-election to his House seat next year, Federer says he has been “inundated with calls and e-mails” from around the nation urging him to run again.