Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong is a little upset. Not over the way he himself has handled the Duke Rape Case, but, over the media treatment, including blogs, in the latest Newsweek (via Wizbangblog)
Asked for an interview last week by NEWSWEEK, Nifong declined, but sent an angry e-mail accusing the national media of getting spun by defense lawyers and sticking to his earlier comments to the press. "None of the 'facts' I know at this time, indeed, none of the evidence I have seen from any source, has changed the opinion that I expressed initially," he wrote. He lashed out at "media speculation" (adding, "and it is even worse on the blogs"). He said that he was bound by ethics rules against commenting any more about the case or evidence.
I wonder if he has read my little blog and other Carolinian blogs, where we slam his ass for his conduct?
And what is his point about ethics rules, considering that he has thrown tons of comments out there about the case? Does he even listen to himself? Probably not.
Unfortunately, as Newsweek takes great pains to point out, Nifong has slightly altered his opinion during the weeks and months of this on-going case.
- "I am convinced that there was a rape, yes sir," Nifong said on "The Abrams Report" on MSNBC on March 28.
- The next day he told a local TV station, WRAL, "My reading of the report of the emergency-room nurse would indicate that some type of sexual assault did in fact take place."
- Before the DNA tests failed to match any of the Duke players, Nifong told The Charlotte Observer, "I would not be surprised if condoms were used. Probably an exotic dancer would not be your first choice for unprotected sex."
Interesting. There is alot of pressure locally on Nifong, both media and local leaders.
A prominent Duke law professor, James Coleman, last week called on Nifong to remove himself from the case and appoint a special prosecutor. "Either he knew what the facts were and misstated them, or he was making them up," Coleman told reporters. "Whether he acted knowing they were false, or if he was reckless, it doesn't matter in the long run. This is the kind of stuff that causes the public to lose confidence in the justice system."
He is playing this case out in what can only be a travesty of justice. If a rape took place, take it to court now. Justice delayed is justice denied. I just have to wonder of Nifong has ever read the VIth Amendment?
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
As Kevin at Wizbang writes "The rape case may have collapsed, but that case against Nifong is just getting started…"
Others:
One estimate I’ve heard is that if this “case” goes to trial it will have cost the lacrosse players $3 Million. Think about that!
Those families are very fortunate to be able to come up with that kind of money to spend defending their sons, but that’s still gotta hurt! If I had a son and this happened to him I literally have no idea what we’d do. It is one of the many galling aspects of this farce: if well-defended innocent men can be railroaded like this under the full glare of the media spotlight, what chance for justice do the rest of us have?
It’s not fair that women can make and accusation that cause so much pain and destruction. Feminist have changed public policy to the point that denies the fair treatment of the accused in the courtroom.
Today’s rape shield laws make it almost impossible to defend unless you’re super rich, that’s why the FBI discovered that over 33% of convicted rapist were wrongly accused and imprisoned, some innocent men spent over a decade in prison for rapes they didn’t commit, before being exonerated by DNA without even an apology.
Although Nifong has destroyed his reputation and career – eventually facing a federal grand jury – he has friends in very high places who daily promote his political agenda under the guise of news reporting.
Nancy (dis)Grace doesn’t care about victims if they’re falsely accused of rape, she and her friend Wendy Murphy will go to any extent to smear the victims and spin any evidence their way. Grace and Murphy mix commentary and reporting to “report†to the public how the rape really happened and how all the evidence that proves otherwise should be ignored.
First she says she was raped by 20 men, then by five men, then by three men after a frustrated police officer told her to “pick a number!”
First she didn’t say she was raped, then after being arrested she said she was raped, then she claimed the 2nd stripper helped with the rape and robbed her, and now she claims that the second stripper was separated from her, but the second stripper stated they were separated for less than 5 minutes.
First she denied being raped, then she said she was only vaginally raped, then she said she was beaten, choked, and kicked after being dragged into the bathroom by three players, but the medical reports stated that there was only mild vaginal swelling and small scraped on her knee and ankle. No signs of a beating.
First the stripper said she didn’t have sex for over a week, then she confessed that she had sex with her boyfriend, a vaginal sex toy at the party before the Duke party, with the two guys who drove her to the Duke party, and a “client” the day before. This women was dripping with DNA, non of which was from the boys.
The boys willingly volunteered DNA samples to prove that they were innocent.
The stripper’s father said the DNA will ID the rapist, but after the DNA came back negative, he claimed the stripper was raped with a broom, but the stripper confessed that she used a sexual toy vaginally in a show for a couple prior to making the false calim.
Since the rape never occurred, the DA made sure to use only Duke Lacrosse players in the line up, and the stripper identified 3 boys from 6 different line ups, but she wa never able to pick out the same boys twice. She eventually “eeny meeny miney moed” two boys who weren’t even at the party.
“If Mike Nifong doesn’t get disbarred after this, then there really is a corrupt system in Durham that protects rich white guys. In Nifong’s case – stupid rich white guys with transparent political agendas.â€