Oops. It amazes me that people of such prominence don't do some basic due diligence. BTW, the LifeLock office is, according to the story, about a mile from my house and I've never noticed it.

The New Times is about as credible & objective as Rushlimbaugh.com. Got a real source?

Interesting. Since Thompson is already one of the public faces of the "Pardon Scooter" campaign he can't afford too many more seedy associations.
Might as well scrap the Red Pickup gimmick, too. Cornball doesn't go well with crookedness unless one's a fast talker. Fred will require a script re-write and some rehearsal time. (If it's true!)

I would suggest he quit channelling Matlock and channel Orson Welles instead; the older, cantankerous version. Use unlit cigars as stage props. Subliminally win the soccer mom vote. Dare the media to protest. ("It's not LIT!, you sumBITCH!")

Rethink the ads? Certainly. But it would be presumptuous to assume that Thompson already knew all this damning information about Maynard when he agreed to do the commercials.

Thompson's voting record as a Congressman and Senator are why I support him. View From The Porch has a concise summary.

Rush Limbaugh promotes LifeLock also. First, be skeptical of any Boston Globe article that is on a conservative. Wait until this sorts out and see what the REAL story is. ww

There's certainly room for skepticism here, and Fred would be wise to re-think his position on LifeLock before making any public statement on the company or it's owner going forward.

But as a means of playing devil's advocate, let me offer up a familiar name as an example of someone who made good on a particular skill and a second chance:

Frank Abagnale.

Fred's could possibly apologize and recover with some mild embarrassment due to his short relationship with this company.

Its odd that this is the perfect counter-balance to the Clintons and InfoUSA story. Difference being Mr. Clinton has been on the Board of Directors for years and it won't get the airtime this story will.

Press release concerning ad:

'Being an innocent, wide-eyed boy from the sticks, Mr. Thompson was duped into doing this ad by his agent -- a greedy, good-for-nothing, Hollywood Liberal parasite. Mr. Thompson is no longer associated with him and will donate 10% of his salary from this ad to his favorite charity "Old-fashioned Country Grandmothers Nostalgic for a Time That Never Was."'

The true lesson here is the danger of blending media business with politics.

MarkByrn (Commenter #2):

You said "The New Times is about as credible & objective as Rushlimbaugh.com. Got a real source?"

First, did you read the article? It quotes Maynard's own FATHER as saying Maynard Jr. stole his identity. It has law enforcement on the record debunking Maynard's lies about his bogus ID theft.

Second, Yes, there are "real" sources. Plug these addresses into your browser:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/1997/04/maynard.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1997/04/ncf-4.htm
http://music.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1996-11-21/news/feature2_full.html
http://search.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1998-04-09/news/news.html
And there are more from where those came from.

=================
Commenter WildWillie,

The ads are ON THE AIR. It's not conjecture. The Globe piece wasn't an attack on Thompson, it was reporting the FACT that he has been paid big money by LifeLock, which is was founded by Robert J. Maynard Jr., a conman, criminal, and nut case (arrested in Texas for death threats). Maynard is the President, Chief Marketing Officer, and major shareholder of LifeLock, Inc.

Jay...thank you for this observation..I appreciate you placing Republicans under the same microscope you place Dems..
Both sides are subject to hypocrisy ..as uncomfortable it is for us...we must at least acknowledge this...
....again...this is why Wizbang maintains a unique niche in the bogasphere..(note: you seldom will find this on sites like Kos)

Kevin Aylward,

The Betsey Griffin quoted in the Globe blurb who is media director for Lavidge Co...she is Maynard's ex-girlfriend. Read the New Times article, her name is right in there. She was one of the creditors on Maynard's massive $2 MILLION personal bankruptcy in 2005 (in other words, he owed her thousands of dollars).

Maynard probably paid her off by hiring her to do Lifelock's ads!

And LifeLock also has ties into two multi-billion dollar venture capital funds, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (http://www.kpcb.com/) which funded Google, and Bessemer Venture Partners (http://www.bvp.com) which funded Skype. Very embarrassing.

He best back away from running now. Maybe if he'd just have listened in on other's cellphone calls it'd been OK.

I've seen and heard lifelock advertised everywhere lately. If they are some kind of scam, they have fooled a lot of people. I hardly think this is much of a scandal. Do you do "due diligence" on every company that contracts you to do a job? (Presuming you're an enterpreneur). If I did that, I'd never get anything done.

I don't think this is The Fred Thompson Scandal the Democrats were talking about revealing. There is probably another Fred Thompson Scandal that is much, much worse. Be on the lookout for a different Fred Thompson Scandal.

It is sort of funny when you think about all the scandals that Mrs Clinton has been involved in that don't rate a word in the press. I'm still not convinced that Fred Thompson has the leadership skills or energy level to lead us through the war on terror. I wish he would just get in the race so all the bad thngs in his past will come out and then go away.