Bulger Silent on His Mobster Brother

University of Massachusetts President William Bulger on Friday refused to tell a congressional panel whether he’s been in contact with his fugitive mobster brother or knows his whereabouts.

Bulger, a colorful and influential powerbroker, invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions, bringing an abrupt halt to two days of hearings by the committee investigating the FBI’s ties to its mob informants.

“The 5th Amendment’s basic function is to protect innocent men who might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances,” Bulger said. “I find myself in such circumstances.”

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, asked Bulger if he had spoken to his brother -- mobster James “Whitey” Bulger -- since 1995, the year Bulger fled before being indicted on federal corruption charges. Burton also asked William Bulger if he knew where his brother is.

Bulger, who has been implicated in 21 murders, disappeared in January 1995 after former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. told him he was about to be indicted. Connolly, who grew up in the same neighborhood as the Bulger brothers, was convicted this year for tipping off Bulger and other mobsters about indictments.

Bulger, 68, testified before a grand jury last year that he talked with his brother in a prearranged call at a friend’s house shortly after Bulger fled, but maintains he hasn’t had contact with him since.

“If they cannot have one Bulger, we fear they will have another,” said William Bulger’s lawyer, Thomas R. Kiley.