I remember the Reverend Al Sharpton hanging around outside my first office building at 401 Broadway in the early 1980s.  He typically wore a bright blue running suit with a big, round gold medallion.  His pompadour hairdo glistened in the sun.  Even then, this was not in style.

He was there because his good buddy, C. Vernon Mason, had an office in the building too.  Mason was a very funny guy and an excellent trial lawyer.  When he was later disbarred, it was for neglect of cases.  Mason just had too many cases, and those that didn’t make the cut sat in a pile and stayed there.

Twenty years later, Al Sharpton wore a suit and ran for president.  Strangely, he was taken seriously.  How he managed to pull off this transformation is a testament to his imagination.  I give him a lot of credit for it, as he managed to get past Tawana Brawley and his blue running suit.  Neither was a small feat.

 

His presidential campaign and his National Action Network finances are under scrutiny. Now the Reverend Al used to be tight with a lawyer named Alton Maddox.  But he’s been disbarred too.  So neither Mason nor Maddox can help him now.  Who does Al Sharpton turn to in his time of fiscal need?

The civil-rights activist told ABC News that he felt compelled to hire Zachary Carter, the former Brooklyn U.S. Attorney, three months ago because the veteran prosecutor is best equipped to understand the workings of his old office.

Zach Carter?  Yes.  Zachary Carter, of the Dorsey firm. 

Now I can well appreciate that the Reverend Al would seek the representation of a black lawyer, whether for political or philosophical purposes.  But there are excellent attorneys of color in New York, like Tony Ricco or Richard Jasper.  These are lawyers who are not only perfectly suited for a case like this, but are actually working in the trenches.  Zach Carter shifted out of the practice of law around 1980, when he went over to the administrative and judicial side. 

What Al is buying here is influence.  Former presidential candidates can’t be seen as antagonistic to the government, but as cooperative and statesman-like in dealing with their problems.  Of course, you still have to beat back the problems, which is why Al needs Zach to make a few phone calls to a few important people and make this problem go away.

It’s curious how Al takes to the streets when it’s about civil rights, using lawyers in the trenches for the poor and downtrodden to protect, defend and vindicate the rights of African Americans.  But when his cash is at risk, not to mention his carefully crafted reputation as the spokesman for blacks, he turns to a man wielding inside influence. 

I’m sure Zach Carter knows plenty about how the United States Attorney’s office works these investigations.  So do plenty of other former United States Attorneys, not to mention the AUSAs who actually do the work.  So why do so many march their clients to the fateful meeting that secures a stay at Club Fed?