University of Central Oklahoma
THURSDAY October 9, 1997
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The Student Voice Since 1903
Former McVeigh attorney says government knew of bomb By Rhonda Bowden Staff Writer
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n his first Oklahoma appearance since the murder trial ended in June, former counsel for Timothy McVeigh, Enid attorney Stephen Jones, spoke Tuesday to an audience of local public relations professionals and students, some from UCO, about his personal experiences while defending McVeigh in the $45 million "trial of the century." But the questions that seemed to be on the minds of most audience members were about Jones' belief that the federal government had prior knowledge of the bombing and that government officials are actively covering up this information. "There are about a dozen people who tell a consistent story" of seeing bomb squad trucks and sniffer dogs at the Murrah Building the day of April 19, said Jones. He Stephen Jones, former lead attorney for Timothy McVeigh, answers questions during PRSArs said these are responsible people meeting Tuesday. (Photo by Jill Kelsey who do not know each other and
have no motivation to lie. "I know and believe that there was a substantial factual basis to these claims," he said. Jones described his visit to the New York Times to tell them what he knew of the government's prior knowledge. "I had decided that I would not be a party to this (the cover-up)," he said. After being met at the door of the Times building by the publisher, and the editor in chief, Jones spent several hours with them Jones' opinion is that officials knew of the threat and did check it out—if only superficially—then they left the scene. He said that our government has repeatedly shown a remarkable ability to lie, and added that the possibility that the government had prior knowledge has never been seriously investigated by an independent agency. Jones then told of how the government persuaded producers of the 20/20 news show not to run a 20-minute segment that investigated
claims that the government had prior knowledge. He said there will never be an Oklahoma trial despite what District Attorney Bob Macy promises. He reasoned that the government would never release McVeigh for trial here because they would anticipate being asked by an Oklahoma judge to release documents or permit testimony pertaining to their prior knowledge, information that the government was able to suppress during the trial in Denver. Jones said that during the trial, the U.S. Justice Department was leaking information "like a sieve" in an effort to damage his case. Jones said the worst day of the trial for him professionally was when the Dallas Morning News ran the story citing alleged confidential defense documents wherein McVeigh admits his guilt. "The Dallas Morning News sodomized my client's right to a fair • See JONES, Page 4
UCOSA Town Hall meetings help rally student support By Lisa Tatum Editor in chief
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n an effort to raise student participation in campus government, the UCO Student Association (UCOSA) held the first of four scheduled Town Hall Meetings yesterday in Howell Hall. Approximately 25 students
attended the meeting in which UCOSA House Speaker Dale Archer and President Sean Ridenour addressed concerns such as student apathy and involvement in university financial decisions. Ridenour said he has noticed a general apathy among students and hopes events like the Town Hall Meeting can help "liven up
the student body." He also encouraged students to communicate with their UCOSA representatives. "We want your ideas," he said. Archer explained UCOSA's three-level government structure and the affect enrollment has on student representation. He said the association is
focusing on more student representation in the distribution of student activity fee money among student groups. Archer said the $4-percredit-hour fee each student pays should entitle them to a say-so in where the money goes. He said UCO should "model up" to the University
of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, both of which give student government more control over the activity funds than UCO does. Archer said UCOSA representatives will continue to seek input from students by periodically holding Town Hall meetings in each of the four colleges.
INSIDE TODAY ,
INDEX 2 Editorial Sports 10-12 Around Town 16 Around Campus ...17 Classifieds 19
COLUMN Steven Wedel advocates Promise Keepers in his weekly column.
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AROUND TOWN Check out what's happening this weekend in OKC.
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KIDSPLAY Broncho football players entertain children during meeting.
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