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Fundraiser For Thompson Has Drug Past

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By MICHAEL FINNEGAN and WALTER F. ROCHE JR., Los Angeles Times

Published: November 5, 2007

NEW YORK - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Sunday that a friend with a criminal record for cocaine and marijuana sales would remain a top fundraiser for his campaign while he evaluates the situation.

For months, Thompson has been flying to campaign events across the country in a private jet lent to his campaign by Alabama developer Philip J. Martin, who has known the former Tennessee senator for more than a decade.

"I know Phil is a good man," Thompson said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "He is my friend. He is going to remain my friend."

In 1979, Martin pleaded guilty to the sale of 11 pounds of marijuana, The Washington Post reported Sunday. In 1983, the paper said, he pleaded no contest to charges of cocaine trafficking and conspiracy stemming from a plan to sell $30,000 worth of the drug.

Thompson, a former federal prosecutor, said he first learned of Martin's criminal background Saturday. The crimes occurred when Martin was in his 20s and living in Florida, Thompson said.

"I'm not going to throw my friend under the bus for something he did, you know, 25 years ago if he's OK now," Thompson said. "On the other hand, I'm running for president. I've got, you know, to do the right thing, you know, and problems occur, and I'll just have to figure it out."

Thompson noted Martin was sentenced to probation, not prison, in both cases. "He paid his debt to society and turned himself around and become a good, productive, successful citizen," he said.

Martin, 49, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Martin is chairman of a four-member campaign finance team known as First Day Founders, which established Thompson's fundraising strategy in June, campaign spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said.

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