Unable to squelch prosecutor misconduct allegations, John Bradley passes them off to AG

Having failed to prematurely draw to a close an investigation into prosecutorial misconduct in the Michael Morton case, Williamson County DA John Bradley has now requested a special prosecutor from the Attorney General take over the case, reports Chuck Lindell at the Austin Statesman. Earlier, Lindell had reported that:

Bradley, district attorney for the past 10 years, said he will have a role in the investigation, though he also declined to provide details, noting that the agreement is under seal.

Bradley said his association with Anderson — the two are friends who have co-written several legal books, including one still offered for sale — will not influence his actions.

"My role is to represent the state. I believe I can do so without bias," he said via email. "I will cooperate completely in providing, to the extent I have the authority to do so, the (Innocence Project) lawyers any relevant information. It matters not to me who was involved in that discovery."

But after Bradley withdrew a motion to close the investigation before discovery that he'd agreed to with Morton's lawyers was complete, now the Williamson DA says that "“Given the complexities and age of the Morton case, I wanted to make sure that we had an office and a special prosecutor with substantial experience who could carry this case forward.”

What changed? IMO, public perception, and little else. With an election coming up next year and the local Williamson County media (pdf) hammering him, Mr. Bradley is running away from this case - and the perception that he's covering his own ass and that of District Judge Ken Anderson, the first chair prosecutor at Morton's trial - as fast as he possibly can. At this point, though, it'd be impossible to run far enough for Mr. Bradley to dissociate himself from the taint of scandal caused by fighting DNA testing and the release of exculpatory evidence for so many years while an innocent man sat in prison and his wife's killer roamed free. Too little, way too late.

Related:

• John Bradley tries to short-circuit investigation into prosecutor misconduct in Michael Morton case
• John Bradley facing local, national criticism now that Michael Morton formally exonerated
• State Bar should sanction prosecutor from Michael Morton case but almost certainly won't
• What can the Texas Legislature do to reduce prosecutorial misconduct?