BOSTON — Lawyers for James “Whitey” Bulger used an admitted corrupt FBI agent yesterday to suggest to the jury at Bulger’s racketeering trial that he was not an FBI informant, a key contention of prosecutors.
John Morris, an ex-agent who admitted taking $7,000 in cash and two cases of wine from Bulger, was grilled by Bulger’s lawyer about a 700-page file the FBI filled with information Bulger allegedly gave them while an informant in the ’70s and ’80s.
Bulger attorney Hank Brennan suggested Morris falsely portrayed Bulger as a top-echelon informant in FBI files so that he could advance his career. The defense maintains that Bulger bribed Morris and others for information on investigations to help avoid prosecution but say he was not an informant.
“The truth is, Mr. Morris, Mr. Bulger was buying. He wasn’t selling. Was he?” Brennan asked Morris.