The Maryland State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police wrote an open letter on Thursday to Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley demanding he release his state bar application.
In a missive called “Come Clean Mr. O?Malley,” state FOP President John Bartlett wrote that the mayor should release his bar application to the public to see if O?Malley told the truth about a 1987 DUI charge and later acquittal.
“If he has nothing to hide, then he has nothing to fear,” Bartlett wrote.
The state FOP has endorsed Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Bartlett said he did not send the letter to O?Malley, but released it to the media.
O?Malley has said he does not recall whether he disclosed a 1987 drunken driving charge in Montgomery County on his bar application.
The Maryland State Bar Association demands that all lawyers reveal their prior criminal proceedings on such applications, except for applicants who have had their criminal records expunged.
Ehrlich has released his bar application to The Examiner, but O?Malley has refused.
“This is nothing more than a desperate stunt by a desperate campaign,” O?Malley campaign spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said of the FOP?s letter.
“The mayor has said all he is going to say on this issue, and will not engage in this type of orchestrated smear campaign five days before the election. Over these last five days, Martin O?Malley is focused on delivering his positive vision for Maryland to the people of our state.”
But Bartlett said law enforcement officers have a right to the truth.
“We deserve to know: Did he tell the truth on his application?” he said. “He has raised a suspicion by not releasing it.”
Part of the Baltimore Examiner’s 2006 Election Coverage
