Tangled Webs How False Statements are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff

by Stewart, James B.

• ISBN13: 9781594202698
• ISBN10: 1594202699
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-19
• Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The

Summary

Bestselling author James B. Stewart's newsbreaking investigation of our era's most high-profile perjurers, revealing the alarming extent of this national epidemic. Our system of justice rests on a simple proposition: that witnesses will raise their hands and tell the truth. In Tangled Webs, James B. Stewart reveals in vivid detail the consequences of the perjury epidemic that has swept our country, undermining the very foundation of our courts. With many prosecutors, investigators, and participants speaking for the first time, Tangled Websgoes behind the scene of the trials of media and homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart; top White House political adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby; home-run king Barry Bonds; and Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff. The saga of Martha Stewart's conviction captured the nation, but until now no one has answered the most basic question: Why would Stewart risk prison, put her entire empire in jeopardy, and lie repeatedly to government investigators to save a few hundred thousand dollars in stock gains? Moreover, how exactly was the notoriously meticulous Stewart brought down? Drawing on the accounts of then-deputy attorney general James Comey and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Stewart sheds new light on the Libby investigation, making clear how far into the White House the Valerie Plame CIA scandal extended, and why Libby took the fall. In San Francisco, Giants home-run king Barry Bonds faces trial due to his testimony before a grand jury investigating the use of illegal steroids in sports. Bonds was warned explicitly that the only crime he faced was perjury. Stewart unlocks the story behind the mounting evidence that he nonetheless lied under oath. Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme is infamous, but less well known is how he eluded detection for so long in the face of repeated investigations. Of the four he is the only one who has admitted to lying. The perjury outbreak is symptomatic of a broader breakdown of ethics in American life. It isn't just the judicial system that relies on an honor code: Academia, business, medicine, and government all depend on it. Tangled Websexplores the age-old tensions between greed and justice, self-interest and public interest, loyalty and duty. At a time when Americans seem hungry for moral leadership and clarity, Tangled Websreaffirms the importance of truth.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xiii
Martha Stewart
ôCan I Go Now?ö	p. 3
ôEveryone Is Telling the Same Storyö	p. 45
ôA Conspiracy of Duncesö	p. 85
I. Lewis ôScooterö Libby
ôThis Is Hush-Hushö	p. 123
ôAll the Reporters Know Itö	p. 154
ôDouble Super Secret Backgroundö	p. 203
ôA Cloud over the White Houseö	p. 220
Barry Lamar Bonds
ôI'm Keeping My Moneyö	p. 265
ôEverybody Is Doing Itö	p. 303
ôYou're a Snitchö	p. 331
Bernard L. Madoff
ôKeep Your Eyes on the Prizeö	p. 363
ôSome People Feel the Marketö	p. 392
Conclusion	p. 433
Acknowledgments	p. 443
Notes and Sources	p. 445
Index	p. 455
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