The Libous Interviews The Jury Won’t Hear

The federal trial of state Senator Thomas Libous is getting underway in White Plains.

Libous is accused of lying to federal agents in 2010. He was indicted by a grand jury just over a year ago. The FBI had questioned Libous about the possible use of political influence in connection with his son Matthew's job with a Westchester County law firm.

Prosecutors won't be able to use comments Libous made during a WNBF Radio interview. A judge decide the segment of a Binghamton Now program United States attorney Preet Bharara hoped to play for jurors will not be permitted.

During the May 2013 interview that focused on a complaint made to a state ethics panel, Libous was asked whether he had been "contacted at all by the FBI or any other state investigators. Libous paused, then answered: "No."

The issue came up during a Binghamton Now interview in July 2014, one week after Libous was indicted. The senator maintained he was responding to whether he had spoken to agents in connection with the more-recent ethics complaint. He indicated the 2010 interaction with FBI agents was about an entirely different matter, which wasn't being discussed on the radio program.

LISTEN to excerpts of the 2013 and 2014 Binghamton Now interviews with Senator Libous here: