Whitey Bulger's Brother Failed Morally at Every Turn

Deciding whether to protect or persecute a murderous brother can’t be easy, but “please, spare me any misplaced sympathy for William M. Bulger,” writes Scot Lehigh of the Boston Globe. Faced with that moral test, Bulger “failed it at each and every turn.” The former state senator refused to talk to the FBI when Whitey Bulger disappeared. Soon after, he talked to Whitey Bulger by phone—and didn't urge him to turn himself in.

In grand jury testimony, Bulger refused to discuss that call further, citing attorney-client privilege. He conveniently forgot another call, in which a bank told him it was moving one of Whitey's safe deposit boxes. He even convinced his sister to help Whitey claim his Lottery winnings—which federal officials allege was a money laundering scheme. Last week, Bulger released a statement expressing “sympathy to all the families” his brother had hurt. Lehigh scoffs at that. “We’ve already seen the limit of his concern.” (More Whitey Bulger stories.)