Jeff Landry loves to present an image of himself as a crusading advocate for all that is just and pure. All you have to do is read his endless parade of self-promoting press releases about all the evil he has pursued as our law and order attorney general.
Except when it comes to investigating possible SEXUAL ABUSES in the Catholic Church as attorneys general in others states have done.
Could it be because his mother is a religion school teacher at Trinity Catholic School in St. Martinville in St. Martin Parish, which falls within the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette? (NOTE: I’m informed Landry’s mother retired three years ago and the school itself closed a year ago but that does nothing to diminish the significance of Landry’s ties to the church or his potential motivation to go easy on any investigation of same.)
Of course his office says it doesn’t have the authority to launch such a comprehensive investigation.
Landry refuses to say whether he would initiate a joint review of sex abuse allegations along with district attorneys in Louisiana, as has been done in at least one other state.
New Orleans attorney Roger Stetter, who represents alleged victims of clergy abuse in New Orleans, said he believes Landry could pursue an investigation if he desired.
“He doesn’t need the permission of the Legislature to pursue this,” Stetter said. “He doesn’t think he can because he doesn’t want to do it.”
Landry has not been shy in asserting his authority in other areas—even in cases where that authority was not his. He operated a special crime task force — with agents who arrested people — in New Orleans for about a year, though a federal judge said he did not have the power to do so. His office spews out a constant stream of press releases about his pursuit of child predators (other than priests) and welfare and Medicare cheats in his never ending quest for the governor’s office.
Things that make you go hmmm.
If his office had received so much as one complaint, wouldn’t he be bound to investigate? If so, and it is inconceivable that his office has NEVER received a single complaint of this nature, he should have long ago launched an investigation of priest sexual predation. Yes, it does make one go hmmm!
The Louisiana Constitution prohibits him from launching an independent investigation in any parish without a specific request from the local district attorney. This does not, however, prevent him from forming an organization of local officials (including DAs) to look into the matter. Yet, he has shown no desire to do so.
When the people who have dogs in this hunt demand an investigation, local DAs and Landry will have to take a look. In other words – when Catholics demand to know if their priests victimized their children, the investigation begins. Heads in the sand? Sunshine on abuse? Accountability? It will be interesting to observe how this pans out.
https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_00664b26-cbcc-11e8-b153-a761eeeb2cdf.html
List of Louisiana clergy accused of sex abuse remains mystery; financial toll gives clues to why
Oct. 13, 2018
Landry doesn’t investigate white men for anything. He’s yet to prosecute the sheriff deputies for raping a minor black girl in their custody. He didn’t prosecute the Baton Rouge police officer for rape, either. However, he’s very active wasting the taxpayers’ money suing to stop insurance companies from accepting and treating patients with pre-existing conditions. He is equally vociferous and wrong in his assault upon women’s Constitutional right to privacy and consequent access to legal and safe pregnancy-termination
All very good reasons to find a better candidate and VOTE HIM OUT.