A Furious Lawrence O’Donnell Interrogates Empty Chair After George Zimmerman’s Lawyer Cancels
Source: Mediate
George Zimmermans attorney, one Craig Sonner, seemed a bit out of his league when he tried to answer such difficult questions from Anderson Cooper on Friday as where is your client? and did he tell you what happened that night? So it may not be that big of a shock that he canceled his appearance with Lawrence ODonnell last-minute tonight. What may come as a surprise is that ODonnell went on and did the segment anyway, interrogating an empty chair about who was paying its legal fees and what it feared it would have to argue to keep his client out of trouble.
The segment began with ODonnell reporting first on some of the new developments of the Trayvon Martin story, including Zimmermans new claims of self-defense. He then noted that Sonner was meant to appear at the top of the hour, but not only canceled, but just walked out of the studio a point that led ODonnell into a five minute or so lecture consisting of reasons why, perhaps, Sonner wouldnt want to appear, of assurances that he could not imagine Sonner rescheduling with ODonnell, and ODonnells assertions that Sonner could not feel particularly comfortable about his clients chances if he wouldnt go on the show. He literally run away, ODonnell railed, he is in our car right now taking him away from the studio. Accusing him of getting away with the craziest stuff any lawyer has attempted to get away with, he warned his audience to watch him if he resurfaces anywhere else.
ODonnell then turned to the segment his show planned with Sonner, showing the chair from which Sonner should have reported in Orlando. He did not, of course, but that did not stop ODonnell from actually conducting his interview. He began asking questions passionately Who is paying you?, Did you represent Zimmerman in the domestic violence case in 2007?, Do you have photographs of your clients broken nose that night? until he exhausted his list of questions, raising his voice dramatically at the empty wooden chair staring back at him helplessly from Orlando, bearing no answers.
Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/a-furious-lawrence-odonnell-interrogates-empty-chair-after-george-zimmermans-lawyer-canceled/
VIDEO:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/a-furious-lawrence-odonnell-interrogates-empty-chair-after-george-zimmermans-lawyer-canceled/
msongs
(67,406 posts)this entire event is a disaster on the part of the law regardless of the merits of any potential cases coming out of this situation.
ALL these people in positions of authority on this matter should just STFU
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Why on earth an attorney would want to talk about a pending case on television is one of those mysteries of the universe to me.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)That is how it goes. There are exceptions of course. If your client is being widely reviled in the press and popular culture and people are calling for terrible things to happen to him, it may be helpful to speak to the public (and future jury pool) to get your client's side of the story out there and make sure that your client is not convicted before there is a trial.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)You've never heard of the highest paid attorneys.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)I suppose there are white shoe firm attorneys who do securities law that I have never heard of, but for the retail types like myself it is important to get in the public eye.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)And talking about a pending case on television is, IMHO, instant malpractice.
I always tell people, "if you see your lawyer on television, fire her."
JitterbugPerfume
(18,183 posts)grasswire
(50,130 posts)But guess what?
Nancy Grace was just as brutal as O'Donnell tonight! I happened upon her show; I never watch her. She had multiple excellent guests who were authoritative and informed! She is on this like a dog on salami. She wants justice. Justice.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)tularetom
(23,664 posts)and extremely vocal in the process.
She has about 1/10 the intellect of O'Donnell and I just don't think she's much of an asset to anyone trying to get to the bottom of what actually happened here.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)She is usually on the other side of these matters. But, then, she is the mother of a son, and her heart is in this.
TahitiNut
(71,611 posts)Nancy Graceless is digital. The flaring nostrils of justice are invariably full of snot.
stevedeshazer
(21,653 posts)Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)This attorney is an ambulance chaser IMO.
Grassy Knoll
(10,118 posts)might not be that far off.
frogmarch
(12,153 posts)I'll check to see if the show will be on again. If it's not on again, I hope it'll show up on You Tube!
TexasTowelie
(112,204 posts)frogmarch
(12,153 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)him!
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)that wooden chair to Sonner. At least I could get some use out of that.
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)I never would've expected someone to duck an interview on such short notice. Not even Willard Romney is that cowardly...
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)Thanks for sharing this, esp. since I had to cut my cable channels WAY back to
just a few (no MSNBC, no HBO, etc.) so I missed it live.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,318 posts)Dave O'Brian, naturally, was a star witness for the Bowden family in their suit against the Boston P.D. So, on the days he had to testify, I'd have to cover the trial in his place, which meant I got to watch O'Donnell Sr. at work a couple of times. Eventually, after endless delays and a near-police strike, the Bowdens won a settlement of $843,498 and an acknowledgement that James Bowden had died an innocent man. All of which is to say that, if Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr. is on this case, then it's because he's lived it once before, even though this one is immeasurably worse.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/trayvon-martin-continued-7492410#ixzz1qJHaHk1R
pacalo
(24,721 posts)sofa king
(10,857 posts)It's considered to be something of an indiscretion among journalists--or was, when journalists had more integrity than they do now. I recall Terry Gross apologizing after she continued with a cold chair interview after one of her guests walked out.
SamG
(535 posts)He's afraid of being charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for the kinds of things he's been saying, and he's afraid O'Donnell would catch him in a bald faced lie, right there on the teevee!!!
Zimmerman's lawyer is teetering on the edge of obstruction of the THREE ongoing law enforcement investigations with his client's fairy tale stories he keep publicly repeating.
goclark
(30,404 posts)for that Chair Interview!
It was fantastic!
davidthegnome
(2,983 posts)If Sonner was afraid of the interview, why did he agree to it in the first place? Unless he had some fairly solid evidence or conviction of his client's innocence. Unless he felt that the media was destroying an "innocent man". It seems to me that this only makes Zimmerman look more guilty. Sonner is guilty of incompetence, at the very least. As much as I dislike Zimmerman and despite my utter disbelief that he acted in self defense, he should be better represented. Clearly Sonner is out of his league and a more competent attorney should be hired, or appointed.
lib_wit_it
(2,222 posts)Sometimes Jon Stewart annoys me. Like when he had Kid Rock at his rally to sing his insipid song with the lyrics:
Day by day my life gets colder
My ice grows thin, as I get older
Peace in peaces, bloody and bruised
I feel so helpless and confused
Cuz I hear screamin on the left
yellin on the right
I'm sitting in the middle tryin to live my life
Cuz I cant stop the war
Shelter homeless, feed the poor
I can't walk on water
I can't save your sons and daughters
I can't change the world and make things fair
The least that I can do
The least that I can do
The least that I can do is care
I pray and pray for life's salvation
Faith is tried and true in tribulation
Love is lost and lonely, check the news
And with these open arms I'll wait for you
Cuz I hear screamin on the left
And yelling on the right
Im sitting in the middle trying to live my life
Cuz I cant stop the war
Shelter homeless, feed the poor
I can't walk on water
I can't save your sons and daughters
I can't change the world to make things fair
The least that I can do
The least that I can do
The least that I can do is care
For the life of me, I can't see how the devil keeps enticing me
All u sees a felon, I know god can see whats right in me
How I can be labeled as a villain in the first place
When the worst case senerio is my birth place
Im just tryin to keep from fallin victim to the murder rate
Take my life lesson convincing the adolecents
There's a god up in heaven, sending down blessins
And ur furture ain't brighter than ur present
Quit Stressin
They re screamin on the left
Yellin on the right
While im sittin in the middle trying to live my life
Cuz I cant stop the war
Shelter homeless, feed the poor
Cant walk on water I cant save ur sons and daughters
I cant change the world to make things fair
The least that I can do is care
Yeah I cant stop the war
Shelter homeless feed the poor
I cant walk on water
I cant save ur sons and daughters
I cant change the world and make things fair
The least that I can do
The least that I can do
The least that I can do
Oh is CARE