WSB's Veronica Waters reports the courtroom on the 21st floor of the Russell Federal Building is filled daily with trial watchers, often longtime supporters of Campbell. Others are staffers from the U. S. Attorney's office, and still other visitors include students, attorneys, and curious citizens known to visit various courthouses around Atlanta to peek in on trials of interest.

One witness--former Campbell personal assistant Dewey Clark--has already testified that he passed at least 10 cash bribes to the Mayor, and saw him take two others.

Michael Langford, who served as director of community affairs under Campbell's administration, watches testimony almost daily and thinks the Government's case is built on the backs of shady witnesses.

"I'm pleased, to an extent, and surprised that the Government's case is so weak," he says. "But it seemed after six years that they would have been more organized, had a stronger case coming forward. It's based on circumstantial and very weak evidence, and I think the jury is seeing through that."

Another witness, Bert Timmerman, says he paid a $400,000 kickback to a friend of Campbell's, fundraiser Fred Prewitt. But Timmerman said he never saw Campbell take, ask for, or even acknowledge receipt of any cash.

Assistant U. S. Attorney Sally Yates said in her opening statement to jurors that Campbell, himself a former federal prosecutor, simply knew "how to cover his tracks."

The defense has been steadfast about getting witnesses to say they never saw Campbell take any money; but prosecutors argue Campbell insulated himself by using go-betweens to deliver cash.

Testimony Monday is expected to include that of James Jackson, who worked as one of Atlanta's contract compliance monitors in 1996. Jackson then raised red flags that the firm owned by Prewitt might not have actually had employees performing work on awarded jobs.

Prewitt later admitted being a front for white-owned businesses that needed to partner with minority firms to bid competitively for Atlanta contracts. He faced federal charges for evading income taxes.

Monday, 6 February 2006