Clown show

This is a story in which a Mackel takes something a con artist orchestrates seriously.

Mackel said Tuesday that he couldn’t discuss whether the TV station wired up Williams or whether the FBI had requested the recording from the station. News Director Jonathan Shelley said the station has had “no official communication” with the FBI.

In a phone interview with The New Orleans Advocate, Williams said she had been pestered to get out of the race by Marullo’s camp. She said she grew fed up and decided to tape a phone call with Sonja “Lady” Dedais, a self-styled political consultant who once ran for mayor and wound up brokering the meeting with Marullo.

Also Ms. Williams launches into a bit of a wrestling monologue herself. 

Williams said “authorities” were involved in taping her conversations but declined to say which ones.

“We recorded all the phone conversations, and then I was wired, and we got him on tape offering me (the post) to get out of the race. Other than that, I can’t go into detail,” Williams said.

“I’m not sitting in the back of the bus. I’m going to expose them. People in this city are tired of the politics. I’m tired of it,” she said.

“I got tired of the harassment, tired of being played like I’m stupid, like I’m dumb. My young generation, we were taught to use your education to get where you’re at, not buying people out. I played along with them. Whatever it took, I didn’t care. It wasn’t about the race. It was about what’s right and wrong.

“What do I have to lose? I tried to make them think I was naive and nice. I wanted him to talk to me and give me the information. They had no idea who they were messing with.”

So she sounds like a level-headed candidate and not at all like a plant in a stunt or anything like that.  Also, it's nice that she's so "tired of the politics" that she qualified to run.

Also Dedais doesn't work for Marullo. Who does she work for?

Marullo’s camp distanced itself from Dedais on Tuesday, saying she has played no role in the campaign other than as an apparent supporter.

“She has not been paid, and I don’t believe there’s any intention of paying her. ... I know he feels like the two of them set him up,” said Edwin “Win” Stoutz, Marullo’s campaign finance chairman.

For her part, Dedais said Williams played her. Dedais described herself as a volunteer for Marullo’s campaign.

“The judge didn’t ask me to set up no meeting. This girl asked me to meet with the judge,” Dedais said. “I didn’t even know she was going to hit the judge with that question. I just told him, ‘Hey, Marie wants to get out of the race. She’d like to know if you’d like to have lunch with her,’ ” Dedais said.

Dedais is described in the article as "self-styled consultant."  Which is.. yeah.. in the same way that James O'Keefe is a documentarian.  Anyway, she's obviously freelancing, here.

The most high profile thing she's done is run for Mayor in 2006.

She also owns a couple of rental properties.

Her Twitter feed seems sane.

Also, "Loyola is sued for negligence" is interesting. 

Anyway, so, yeah.. definitely the sort of source to build  a Mackel exclusive around. Nice job.