>>> TWO YEARS AFTER THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DONALD
TRUMP’S MOST ARDENT FANS STILL
LIKE TO BREAK OUT INTO RAUCOUS
CHANTS OF "LOCK HER UP" AS THEY
DID TUESDAY NIGHT IN
MISSISSIPPI.
MISSISSIPPI. IT’S A CHANCE THAT ORIGINATED AS
A CALL TO JAIL TRUMP’S POLITICAL
OPPONENT.
OPPONENT. EVEN THOUGH THE FBI DECLINED TO
PROSECUTE HER AFTER A LONG
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. WERE IT NOT SO GALLING IT WOULD
BE DARKLY COMEDIC IN THE VERY
SAME RALLY, THE PRESIDENT
DEFENDED THE PRINCIPLE OF THE
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE.
>> GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT.
THAT’S VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. THAT’S VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> ALL RIGHT.
SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE AND THE
CONSEQUENCES OF ALLEGATIONS OF
WRONGDOING FOR THE MOST POWERFUL
MAN IN THE WORLD.
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ACCUSED
BY AT LEAST 15 WOMEN ON THE
RECORD OF UNWANTED SEXUAL
CONTACT, ALL OF WHICH HE SAYS
ARE FALSE.
ARE FALSE. HE FACED NO LEGAL OR CRIMINAL
LIABILITY FOR IT WHATSOEVER.
JUST TWO DAYS AGO HE WAS ACCUSED
IN A DETAILED, DOCUMENTED
INVESTIGATION BY "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" OF PARTICIPATING IN
DECADES OF WHAT THEY SAID WAS
OUTRIGHT FRAUD IN EVADING TAXES
WHILE RECEIVING THE EQUIVALENT
OF AT LEAST $413 MILLION FROM
HIS FATHER’S REAL ESTATE EMPIRE.
AND HE HAS FACED NEITHER LEGAL
NOR CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES, WHICH
IS REALLY PAR FOR THE COURSE.
THANKS IN PART TO REPEATED
SLASHING OF THE IRS BUDGET SINCE
THE GINGRICH ERA, TAX FRAUD AND
MONEY HIDING REGULARLY GO
UNPUNISHED.
UNPUNISHED. IT TAKES A SPECIAL CASE TO FACE
PROSECUTION.
PROSECUTION. JUST ASK PAUL MANAFORT WHO SURLY
WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH HIS
OWN FLAGRANT CRIMES HAD HE NOT
FOUND HIMSELF IN ROBERT
MUELLER’S SIGHTS.
MUELLER’S SIGHTS. HIS FORMER STAFF SECRETARY ROB
PORTER WAS ACCUSED OF ABUSE BY
TWO SEPARATE EX-WIVES, INCLUDING
ONE WHO PROVIDED THIS PHOTO OF A
BLACK EYE, SHE SAYS HE GAVE HER.
YET EVEN AFTER THOSE ABUSE
CLAIMS, WHICH PORTER DENIES,
WERE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF
THE WHITE HOUSE, PORTER WAS
ALLOWED TO CONTINUE IN HIS JOB
AT THE WHITE HOUSE HANDLING THE
MOST SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS IN THE
NATION.
NATION. HE ONLY LOST HIS JOB AFTER IT
ALL BECAME PUBLIC, AND HE HAS
FACED NO OTHER CONSEQUENCES.
AND THEN THERE’S BRETT
KAVANAUGH, WHO HAS BEEN ACCUSED
BY CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD UNDER
OATH OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, WHICH HE
DENIES.
DENIES. DR. BLASEY FORD HAS BEEN
DESCRIBED AS CREDIBLE BY
REPUBLICAN SENATORS, AND EVEN
THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF WHILE MANY
OF KAVANAUGH’S FORMER CLASSMATES
SAY HE BLATANTLY LIED UNDER OATH
IN PLAYING DOWN HIS YOUTHFUL
DRINKING AND EXPLAINING AWAY HIS
ADOLESCENT INSIDE JOKES.
BUT KAVANAUGH HASN’T FACED ANY
LEGAL OR CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES
EITHER.
EITHER. IN FACT, HE IS NOW POISED TO GET
A LIFETIME APPOINTMENT TO THE
SUPREME COURT.
SUPREME COURT. AND THAT SPEAKS TO THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW THE
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE WORKS
FOR PEOPLE LIKE TRUMP AND
KAVANAUGH AND THE LIVED REALITY
OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.
EVERY SINGLE DAY THOUSANDS UPON
THOUSANDS OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS
ARE RUNG THROUGH AMERICA’S
CRITICAL COURTS,
CRITICAL COURTS, DISPROPORTIONATELY POOR,
DISPROPORTIONATELY POOR, NON-WHITE, THE PRUPGSESUMPTION O
THEIR GUILTY KEEP IT IS WHOLE
SYSTEM RUNNING, GUILTY PLEA
AFTER GUILTY PLEA AFTER GUILTY
PLEA.
PLEA. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF AMERICANS IN JAIL RIGHT NOW
SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY CANNOT
AFFORD TO PAY THEIR BAIL.
THEY ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT BY
THE LAW AND CONSTITUTION AND
LOCKED IN CAGES NONETHELESS.
CALETHE BROWDER WAS ONE OF THEM.
HE WAS ACCUSED OF STEALING A
BACKPACK AT THE AGE OF 16.
HE WAS BEATEN BY A GUARD,
ATTACKED BY FELLOW INMATES AND
PUT IN SOLITARY CONTINEMENT FOR
TWO YEARS.
TWO YEARS. WHEN HE GOT OUT HE KILLED
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. JUDGE KAVANAUGH HAS SUGGESTED
THE ACCUSATION HE IS FACING HAS
DESTROYED HIS LIFE.
I WOULD URGE HIM TO TALK TO
BROWDER’S RELATIVES AND LOVED
ONES ABOUT WHAT THAT PHRASE
REALLY MEANS.
REALLY MEANS. FOR MOST OF HUMAN HISTORY THE
LAW HAS LARGELY FUNCTIONED AS
ANOTHER MEANS TO PROTECT THOSE
IN POWER AND PUNISH THOSE
WITHOUT.
WITHOUT. WHAT’S WORTH FIGHTING EVERY LAST
INCH FOR, IT’S THE WORDS ABOVE
THE SUPREME COURT, EQUAL JUSTICE
UNDER LAW.
UNDER LAW. THAT PHRASE REPRESENTS A
REPUDIATION OF THE TYRANNY UNDER
WHICH HUMANS HAVE STRUGGLED FOR
MOST OF OUR LIVES ON THE PLANET.
IT MAY NOT BE A REALITY BUT IT
SHOULD BE THE NORTH STAR TOWARDS
WHICH WE STILL STRUGGLE.
AND IF THERE IS A SINGLE
PRINCIPLE THAT DONALD TRUMP
STANDS FOR, MADE MANIFEST TIME
AND AGAIN IN HIS ATTACKS ON
ROBERT MUELLER, HIS DISMISSAL OF
HIS ACCOUNTS OF WRONGDOING AND
HIS DEFENSES OF OTHER POWERFUL
MEN, IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF
POWER OVER LAW.
THE IDEA THAT THE LAW IS FOR THE
LITTLE PEOPLE, FOR THE WRONGLY
ACCUSED CENTRAL PARK FIVE WHO HE
CALLED TO HAVE EXECUTED AND THE
BROWDERS AND CENTRAL AMERICAN
MOTHERS TO -- THEY GET THE LAW.
HE AND HIS FRIENDS, THEY GET DUE
PROCESS AND THE PRESUMPTION OF
INNOCENCE.
INNOCENCE. NEXT WEEK BRETT KAVANAUGH MAY
WELL GO TO START HIS POWERFUL
NEW JOB AND WALK UP THOSE STEPS
OF THE SUPREME COURT UNDER THE
WORDS "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW."
I WONDER IF HE WILL KNOW
SOMEWHERE DEEP DOWN THAT THE MAN