Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Federal Judiciary Blogs -> Southern District of Florida

Federal Judiciary

: Southern District of Florida

I?m no fan of Steve Bannon.

 But the way DOJ is treating him and his co-defendants in the press isn?t right.  I call it chutzpah in this piece in the Hill:

Chutzpah is defined as ?shameless audacity.? In his book of the same name, Alan Dershowitz said the concept is more easily demonstrated than defined. He gave the classic illustration of the kid who murders his parents and then pleads for mercy on the ground that he is an orphan. The Department of Justice?s recent actions with respect to Brian Kolfage (Steve Bannon?s co-defendant) ? issuing press releases with inflammatory quotes about the allegations and the arrest while at the same time filing a motion with the court saying that the defense should not be able to respond in the press ? is another good example of chutzpah. So too is DOJ's handling of the press in the Ghislaine Maxwell case ? holding a lengthy press conference with pictures and charts and opposing the defense?s motion to curtail the prosecution?s media blitz.
On Aug. 20, the DOJ arrested Kolfage, Bannon and other alleged co-conspirators for fraud in connection with an online fundraising campaign for ?We Build the Wall.? Regardless of what you think of Steve Bannon, President Trump, or ?the wall? ? and as a liberal Democrat, I have pretty strong views ? all defendants are presumed innocent and should be treated fairly.

Please read the whole thing and let me know your thoughts.  Try to imagine a defendant that you don?t hate in Bannon?s or Maxwell?s place.

Full post as published by Southern District of Florida on September 01, 2020 (boomark / email).