GA RICO Defense Closing Arguments: Irony? Hypocrisy? Both?

I didn’t get to check out TV and therefore the ongoing hearing in Fulton County, Georgia until this afternoon so I might have missed some things. What I have seen is one defense lawyer after another get up and make the same points. Maybe they are hoping sheer repetition will take over control of the judge’s mind. While Ashleigh Merchant led the defense case instead I saw her husband. He defended his wife, but I was struck by his (and then Sadow’s) faux outrage over Willis “playing the race card” and OMFG doing so in a historic black church in Atlanta. They even referred to it as “The Church Speech.”

How DARE she was the general tone.  I won’t speak to Merchant but I hope after this I never see or hear Steve Sadow again. That sumb*tch is one stone-cold racist. Why I’m writing is this business the defense has raised about Willis speech in Bethel AME church less than a week after the defense motion to disqualify was filed. The implication was that the general speech was about calling Trump, and I guess them racist and in doing so poisoning the minds of potential jurors. Making extra judicial statements. Trying her case on not the courthouse steps but worse… From a church! And, just to prove they don’t have a racist bone in their body noting it was a “historic black church.” Oh my.

You can read the text of the speech here.

I hardly know where to begin, much less what to say to form a coherent article. I feely admit this is write as you listen stuff and pure, raw first reaction. But early on I found myself thinking along the lines of: Y’all are accusing Willis of speaking about her role and Wade’s role in the case outside of court, of “trying her case in public and trying to influence the jury against Trump by name calling, branding him as a racist? Just WHO the f**k is your client again?  Is HE the only one allowed to give speeches outside the courtroom, on the courthouse steps, at rallies, in interviews and on his own social media platform call HER racist, deranged, incompetent and all kinds of nasty stuff?  Because that’s what much of their Butt-Hurt over that speech in church that, to paraphrase them (more than once) she took time to prepare and craft. Again, it’s the ‘how DARE she?’ aspect of their words and tone that made me want to throw something at my TV.

I urge you to read the text of that “Church Speech” but only part referred specifically to the motion to disqualify. I should note when you get there she points out the diversity of her hires, and that Wade was hired as a special counsel by a Republican DA in another county and paid at twice the rate as Fulton County. The defense references and allegations about when a romantic relationship began is one thing, but they also attacked Wade’s professional credentials/qualifications.  So for me they are f**king hypocrites to say in effect Oh yes, when a REBUBLICAN hired him and paid him twice as much he was well-qualified, but not when a Democrat does!

Well, there was a short break. MSNBC’s Katie Phang noted three tough questions judge McAfee put to the defense that they couldn’t come up with a decent answer to. However she went on to note that the same is likely to happen when the Prosecution gets its chance. We’ll see.

As I wrote in a prior article the defense’s star witness Terrence Bradley has major credibility issues but that didn’t stop the defense from today trying to “light up” their witness – a term of art meaning a lawyer want to try and create a halo effect around them.

One final thought. The prosecution early on referenced the Merchants, and clarified why he believes Ashleigh Merchant made material misrepresentations to the court. She seems to have stated certain witness testimony would be brought in to bolster Bradley (this started to come up several weeks ago on the first day) but never did. I’m not a lawyer but promising to produce witnesses and/or evidence and then not doing so doesn’t help one’s case. Judge’s tend to look less favorably on the case those who pull such a stunt present.

I’m missing too much I fear by trying to write and listen so I’ll shut up for now.  But goddamn am I pissed off right now.