A day after it was revealed that BART chief spokesman Linton Johnson (pictured) tried to stage a phony news event to help blunt criticism of the transit agency, BART board president Bob Franklin pledged that such shenanigans won’t happen again. The Bay Citizen on Tuesday revealed the ham-fisted attempt to provide scripted testimonials to passengers willing to speak favorably on BART’s behalf after obtaining several of Johnson’s emails. Add: BART officials haven't said what, if any, discipline Johnson may receive as a result of the incident. However, Franklin indicated that Johnson will still have his $170,000 a year job when he returns to work Monday. Johnson took leave Aug. 22 after a hacker group posted sexually-provocative pictures of him from a personal website. The site was later taken down.
