2500 Miles Barbwire: This is just not OK, all around.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

robrohr said...: Except for the fact that the US Justice Department made a complete and utter hash of the trial, continually engaging in prosecutorial misconduct. Not just once or twice, and not in borderline instances, but continually and willfully in contravention to direction from the judge.

I personally think Ted Stevens is a corrupt jerk, but corrupt jerks, rapists, murderers, terrorists and Mac users all deserve fair trials. If the justice department can run roughshod over someone as powerful as Stevens, think of what they can do to you and me.

The judge was about to void the conviction anyway. This way the Justice Department gets to admit they were wrong and hopefully gain a little legitimacy in the eyes of the folks who hire them, you and me.

If the Justice Department doesn't punish the prosecutors who engaged in this sketchy behavior though, whatever return to legitimacy they may have gained in my eyes disappears.

The Bush justice Department lost too many opportunities to convict real perpetrators of illegal activity by taking shortcuts in collecting evidence (torture) and trying (hiding exculpatory evidence) these jerks that people who should by all rights end their days in maximum security will be released. The shortcuts don't make us safer. The only person helped by the shortcuts are a cranky old ex-Senator.; April 2, 2009 at 11:00 AM

2500 Miles Barbwire