Word: agnew
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...Jail. Then it was Agnew's turn to read his lines, lines that showed what a hard bargain his lawyers had driven. He admitted that he had received payments in 1967 from contractors that were not used for political purposes. He acknowledged that these contractors had received state contracts. But he denied giving any of them preferential treatment. He also denied all other charges in the 40-page document and he insisted that "at no time have I enriched myself at the expense of the publie trust" whether serving as county executive, Governor or Vice President...
Summing up, Judge Hoffman acknowledged that he had approved the entire deal. It would not, he said, satisfy everyone. He did not like the fact that Agnew's guilt or innocence on the mass of charges would remain unresolved: "It would have been my pre erence to omit these statements and end the verbal warfare as to this tragic event in history." He said that when the accused standing before him is a lawyer, a tax accountant or business executive, he normally puts him in jail, and that is where he would have been inclined to send Agnew, were...
With that, Hoffman intoned: ";It is the judgment of this court that imposition of any sentence be suspended for a period of three years, conditioned that you, Spiro T. Agnew, at all times will be of uniform good behavior, that you will not violate the laws of the United States or of any state; that, as a further condition of this probation, you are to pay a fine in the sum of $10,000 within 30 days...
...Agnew's ordeal in court ended ironically with a scene of comic confusion...
...Judge Hoffman left the bench, the bailiff naturally ordered everyone to stand. The sudden movement and noise startled the Secret Service agent who was escorting Agnew out. "Everybody sit down!" he shouted. Some sat down for the former Vice President, but most remained standing for the judge...