Opinion: Rudy's silence

After Hillsborough State Attorney Harry Lee Coe committed suicide in July, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Rudy as the caretaker until a new state attorney is elected in November. Bush said the former federal prosecutor would "lend a sense of stability" to an office whose credibility was damaged long before Coe's troubling death.

But Rudy has sent the opposite message. He refused to release notes staff members in the state attorney's office made about Coe's debts and gambling habits. He would not talk about the office's handling of resentencing cases, or explain reports the office dragged its heels after learning the FBI lab may have compromised some high-profile cases.

Records released last week also showed Coe's computer was used to access Internet gambling sites, contrary to denials the office maintained for months. Were public records illegally purged? Why did the state attorney's office deny the records existed, and how did they suddenly materialize? Rudy won't say. The resignation this week of Bill Reynolds, Coe's chief technology officer, who denied the computer gambling months ago, only adds to public suspicion of a coverup.

Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe, who is leading the state probe into Coe's death, should investigate whether the records were willingly concealed, and if so, who at the state attorney's office was involved. Rudy isn't explaining this latest development, either. It's a sign of arrogance on the part of the county's chief law enforcement officer -- especially one who's never been elected. Even with his faults, Coe was more open than the man who succeeded him. Rudy's most important task is to restore public confidence in the state attorney's office. Instead, his secrecy is only adding to the public's doubts.

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