A signal from the director cued Jan that the camera, until now showing only a close up of her, was about to switch to another camera covering a wide view that included both her and GO Thomas. Shifting her gaze from the first camera to the second with impeccable timing, Jan continued without missing a beat. “With us here today is George Oliver Thomas, better known by his friends as GO Thomas and, as of last year, Governor Thomas of Idaho. An outspoken critic of the Federal government, Governor Thomas has made it his life’s work to promote states’ rights and support groups that advocate radical reform of the Federal government.” Taking her eyes away from the oversized camera lens, Jan looked at Thomas, gave him a perfunctory smile, and started right in. “Governor Thomas, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule and joining us.”

Flashing a smile that lit up his boyish good looks, Thomas nodded. “I cannot tell you, Ms. Fields, what an honor it is to be here with you today. I have always been a great fan of yours and an admirer of your husband’s achievements.”

For a split second Jan was caught off guard. With a nod and a shy smile, one that Ann felt robbed her of the force of her opening, Jan acknowledged Thomas’s compliments. Quickly regaining her balance, Jan struggled to get back onto course. “How is it, Governor Thomas,” Jan stated pointedly as she leaned over the arm of her chair and looked directly into GO’s eyes, “that you, a decorated veteran, a successful entrepreneur, and the governor of Idaho, have become the object of a federal investigation concerning terrorism, and in particular, the bombing of the Bob Dole Building last April?”

Leaning back in his chair, GO Thomas smiled. If he had been caught off guard by Jan’s stinging question, his demeanor didn’t show it. “As you know, Ms. Fields, since the Clinton years it has become quite fashionable for the President to use Federal agencies to investigate and intimidate his political opponents. The fact of the matter is, were I not the object of at least one Federal probe, I’d worry that I was not being effective.”

Despite her best efforts, Jan found herself joining Thomas as he chuckled.

“At heart,” he continued, “I am, after all, just an ordinary citizen, exercising his right to make a living, serve his community, and express his opinion as guaranteed by the Constitution. That the Attorney General and the FBI has somehow managed to connect me to mass murderers is astonishing to me.”