Sep 8, 2006 11:16 pm US/Central
Former Gov. Thompson Speaks Out In Support Of Ryan
Says Ryan Appropriately Contrite, May Have Handled Willis Van Explosion Differently
by Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
When former Gov. George Ryan was sentenced to prison this week, the Willis family, who lost six children in a crash connected to Ryan's "license for bribes" scandal, was not allowed to speak.
But family members did send letters to the judge about the horrifying day.
CBS 2's Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports the judge read the painful stories before the sentence was delivered.
Scott and Janet Willis have recovered from the horrible injuries they suffered -- injuries we saw when they first spoke out about the loss of six children.
The depth of pain is indescribable," said Scott Willis in an interview following the car accident that killed his six children.
Back then, they quickly forgave the truck driver whose defective rig caused the crash.
"And there's certainly not one ounce of bad feeling toward them, it was an accident," he added.
That was before the term "licenses for bribes" and the connection between the scandal which took down a governor and the accident which killed their children.
In one of several letters from the Willis family to sentencing judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, the Rev. Scott Willis wrote that after the accident the governor and his aides had a choice:
"Either allow the truth to come out, giving understanding and justice for the children's deaths, or cover it up to protect the scheme and the one who benefited."
Friday night, George Ryan remains silent after sentencing for his role in that scheme, but his longtime friend and ally, Jim Thompson, who helped Ryan duck waiting reporters on Wednesday, arranging the getaway car, is speaking out.
"From the standpoint of personal friendship, to see him enveloped by this tragedy is pretty tough," he said.
The Willises were still willing to forgive Ryan had he apologized to them, as he did to the people of Illinois.
"Gov. Ryan must have understood as a father," Scott Willis wrote, "What the loss of six young, innocent children meant to Janet and me, yet no personal contact...was ever made."
"Should George Ryan have said to Reverend Willis, 'I'm really sorry for your tragedy, you know I empathize with you, I have six children of my own'?" Thompson said. "I don't know. I can't speak for George on that. I would have, I guess."
That's what the Willises were waiting for -- an admission of wrongdoing, of sorrow for their loss, waiting to forgive.
Former Gov. George Ryanwas sentenced Wednesday to 6 ½ years in federal prison for corruption.
Ryan was Thompson's lieutenant governor, and Thompson advised Ryan when he was secretary of state and then governor himself. Thompson's law firm also gave Ryan a free legal defense, and it was Thompson's car and driver that whisked Ryan and his wife away from the courthouse and away from reporters on Wednesday.
Thompson said he thinks Ryan was appropriately sorry when he asked for leniency in court.
"For a man to stand up there and say, 'The people elected me and I let them down and I'm ashamed of that and I'm sorry,'" Thompson said, "and 'This is the saddest day of my life and I've failed the people of Illinois' -- that's pretty contrite."
Thompson called the van explosion that took the lives of the six children of Janet and Scott Willis one of the worst tragedies in recent Illinois history, and suggested that he would have handled the aftermath differently than Ryan. The explosion was linked to the licenses-for-bribes scandal that ended led to Ryan's conviction.
Thompson says he fears now for the Ryan family's future.
"He's lost his good name, he's lost his pension, or most of it," he said. "If he goes to prison he'll lose his social security. What Mrs. Ryan will live on, I don't know."
George Ryan will be back in federal court next week. His lawyers will try to persuade the judge to allow Ryan to remain free until a decision on his appeal.
That would mean his current January surrender date would be delayed.
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