The Star Chamber

John Wilkes tells the inside story of his experiences working with the Office of Independent Counsel investigating a series of allegations against President James Madison Cannon. Beginning with a politically-inspired newspaper story about the Whirlpool Estates real estate development when Cannon was Governor of Alabama, the investigation constantly expands as Independent Counsel George Jeffreys becomes increasingly obsessed with driving Cannon from office. Wilkes slowly comes to understand Jeffreys and trys to deal with his own role as well as the political motivations driving the investigation, the role of the media in sustaining the culture of scandal, and the way in which the criminalization of political differences undermines the democratic process and the constitutional fabric of the republic. The education of John Wilkes is a lesson for the nation.