Justice Delayed

For twenty years, the Building Industry Association of Washington has engaged in money-laundering to corrupt elections and undermine environmental protection laws in Washington State. In the 1990s, we fought the BIAW and its paid agent provocateurs who incited violence against environmental activists and Indian tribes, but we received no help from state oversight and enforcement agencies. Last month, the Washington Supreme Court finally handed a blow to the BIAW in the form of upholding an Appeals Court decision ordering the BIAW to return millions in illegally diverted funds.

While this money-laundering initially corrupted or threatened county governments in 14 counties, it was only in the last decade that it came close to buying two governor's races. I suspect this was ultimately the impetus for the recent court decision.

Sometimes justice takes a while.