Wednesday, September 30, 2009

BARACK OBAMA

Eric Holder Probably Didn't Need This Headache

Attorney General Eric Holder is not responsible for the decision of his friend. But if I were him, I'd be a little nervous about one of my best friends taking a role in a supremely controversial case:

While a backlash emerged Tuesday among French politicians of all stripes about whether their government and others should have rushed to embrace the cause of the jailed film director Roman Polanski, his American legal team picked up an influential new member: the lawyer Reid Weingarten, a well-known Washington power player and close friend and associate of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

The recruiting of Mr. Weingarten was a strong signal that Mr. Polanski’s legal team intends to push hard on the Washington end of the case . . . A former government lawyer who once worked in the Justice Department’s public integrity division, Mr. Weingarten is described as one of Mr. Holder’s closest friends, and joined him in founding the See Forever Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children.

Do I need to rehash the ugly details? Forced vaginal and anal sex on a 13-year-old while she was saying "no." I understand the victim has moved on with her life, but come on. If you flee before sentencing, you can't expect the courts to say, "Eh, let's let bygones be bygones."

And what, precisely, is "the Washington end" of the case? The extradition issue? Does Polanski's team think they can somehow lobby their way out of this?

09/30 11:31 AMShare