Ryan Apologizes For Crimes For Which He Has Maintained His Innocence

By Tim State in News on Dec 13, 2008 5:14PM

Can we really believe the apology of a convicted governor who appears to be desperate to have his prison sentence commutated when just two weeks ago, he was quoted by his wife as saying his conscience was clear and he’d not do anything different? Former Gov. George Ryan issued an apology yesterday -- through another former governor, friend and lawyer James Thompson, for the crimes he committed -- crimes Ryan has maintained is is innocent for.

According to the Sun-Times, “Thompson said hours of lonely contemplation in a prison cell prompted Ryan to say he was sorry.”

In his apology, Ryan called out the Willis family, whose six children died in a car accident caused by a driver who got is license with a bribe while Ryan was Secretary of State:

I know that Reverend and Mrs. Willis suffered such effects -- an unimaginable pain and loss -- from mistakes made in my administration, both by me and others on my watch. My heart has and always will go out to the Willis family. They, like all of the people of Illinois, deserved far better than I gave them. [S-T]

Former Governor George Ryan photo by MyOldPostcards.