David Mamet Defends Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy In Open Letter
Fans are outraged at Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy for allegedly paying a bribe to a college “fixer” in an effort to get their children into Ivy League schools.
Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter David Mamet (Glengarry Glenn Ross, Wag the Dog) is defending his longtime friends amid the scandal.
In an open letter to the press, David blasted the “elite universities,” calling their admissions policies “an unfortunate and corrupt joke,” adding, “Harvard was once sued for restricting the admission of qualified Jews; a contest currently being waged by Asians.”
“The unqualified may be accepted for many reasons, among them, as Legacies, and on account of large donations made by their parents. I do not see the difference between getting a kid into school by bribing the Building Committee, and by bribing someone else. But, apparently, the second is against the Law. So be it.”
David, who has known William for almost 50 years, spoke of their friendship: “We started two theatre companies together, one of which, THE ATLANTIC is still in operation in New York, after 35 years… I’ve known Felicity Huffman for those 35 years, she was my student, my colleague, worked in many of my films, and created roles on stage in three of my plays.”
“I’m crazy about them both,” he added. “That a parent’s zeal for her children’s future may have overcome her better judgment for a moment is not only unfortunate, it is, I know we parents would agree, a universal phenomenon.”
“If ever there were a use for the Texas Verdict, this is it. For the uninitiated, the Texas Verdict is: ‘Not Guilty, but Don’t do it Again.’”
Felicity was among 33 wealthy parents charged this week with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in a pair of scams to cheat on college-entrance exams and corruptly recruit student-athletes.
She was accused of scheming with a crooked college counselor, William “Rick” Singer, to illegally boost her daughter Sofia Grace Macy’s score on the crucial SAT exams by 400 points.
William, however, has not been charged.