North Carolina congressman Walter Jones today demanded a Justice Department investigation of Nifong's misconduct, focusing on:
- the district attorney's ordering the Durham Police to violate their own procedures and confine the April 4 lineup to suspects;
- the district attorney's multiple procedurally improper and frequently misleading public statements.
I hope the Justice Department treats Jones' request seriously, and launches the necessary inquiry. As both prosecutor and de facto police chief, Nifong has absolute control over Durham police officers or assistant district attorneys who might be inclined to report his misconduct. Only federal action can rectify this situation.
54 comments:
Will Nifong follow his own dictum that if you didn't do anything wrong, you don't need a lawyer?
Hooray, hooray, hooray!!!!!
Observer
The request is as foolish as the person who made it and the person to whom it is addressed.
4:17-
Chicago writes,
Care to elaborate on your position with FACTS? I assume your response is more intune with an agenda though, lot of that going on in Durham these days.
Are you kidding, Nifong has this case just where he wants it. Jones is just being a political hack a republican going after a democrat. Nifong has all his bases covered.
here's something curious
mikey boy has changed his phone #: new 1 is 919.564.7100
this feckless bastard is running for cover: he's so scared that it is impossible to leave a message on the general mailbox without a code--how ridiculous is that!
i urge locals to find out where he likes to go, and visit him with some true love
jc
Chicago writes:
4:34-you are a baiter.
JC-While I don't doubt he changed his numbers, I would assume all his calls are screened hard by a secretary anyway right?
Being a non-attorney, is this unsual to have federal intervention before trial? Is there any expectation that the feds will act?
The grounds for federal intervention--if it occurs, which is still uncertain--would be Nifong's misconduct.
To answer 4.57's questions: yes, it would be highly unusual. But it's even more unusual to have this degree of misconduct publicly known at this stage of the process. Normally, this kind of misconduct doesn't come out until post-appellate review.
4:34 you sound just like a post I read on the abc board by cash michael's and you sound just like that post. Could it be that cash is hanging out here?
Interesting that this story is posted on Yahoo news, WRAL.com, newsandobserver.com, but it is still curiously absent from the Herald Sun?
I wonder what the actual statistics are of federal intervention in cases of this nature?
One would think that there should be provisions for this at the state level, but as I understand it, not in NC. Hopefully this will bring some justice back to the justice system in Durham. Glad I live in Wake county.
Right KC it usually doesn't come out till after the trial. This case has been dragged out by Nifong and the NC courts. I mean the last "setting" was on 9-15-06, three months ago, when will the next setting take place, sometime in March. This judge, Judge Smith seems to be as hopeless as his predecessors. I would think that in most states it doesn't take over a year, from indictment to trial.
to WJD
Isn't there a hearing of some sort on December 15?
wjd the date you gave for the last hearing is incorrect. The sate was 9/15/06, because that was the same day that I spoke with the Assistant A.G. from N.C.
Chicago writes:
Yes there is a setting on December 15. I thought that there was a setting in late October. In fact, I am almost sure there was one then.
The Herald Sun editorial staff is having hot flashes right now.
"what to do?" "what to do?"
Hehehehe
I'm glad Walter Jones has taken this step...but I fear it will go nowhere.
Everything from Housing to water management is handled poorly in Durham.
We do seem to have a good city Manager though- and it takes years for improvements to become apparent. I hope for the best.
4:34,
It was very clear as of the election in November that Nifong did NOT have his bases covered. If he had additional information helpful to the prosecution, he would have leaked it then to ensure his victory. Would you like to enlighten us HOW these bases suddenly became covered within the past month?
Observer
The feds should not waste their time or money on Nifong. He a sincere prosecutor, doing his job. He has all his eggs in one basket and while the duke rapist rot in jail, he will be happily retired and collecting a good pension from NC.
Chicago writes:
5:28:
Oh so there is just one rapist now huh? What happened to 20, 5 or the 3 indicted?
You are right about him having all his eggs in one basket though, he had all his eggs in one basket to win the primary by rushing through those bogus indictments.
When Nifong presents his 2 eyewitnesses on Friday, who's world will really shake, the victims or the duke 3?
4:17pm is an example of a loony Liberal.
Not interested in justice,
Just a bizarre relative idea of "right" and "wrong".
Debrah
5:34 PM--
Cash-man is in the house talking about "shaking" again.
What's shaking Cash? The flour beneath you when you move?
Cash-man be shakin'.
5:34pm-You obviously don't know much about the legal system. Two eye witnesses would not be present at a court setting before the trial begins. The two eye witnesses you mentioned would need to be called to testify when the trial begins. Quit baiting.
The Moose writes:
Would all you anonymous people PLEASE choose a screen name? It's impossible to tell who's replying to who, about what!
Thanks,
Moose
i believe this will pass muster with the feds, based solely on the lineup issue
nifong is an embarrassment, so the feds r gonna make him pay
he's in trouble
if i were he, i'd get my real estate license out of the closet--he'll need it
what asshole compared me to cash michaels? don't post anonymously, bitch
jc
there was a hearing oct 27. next is dec 15.
KC - I have just called both my Senators in Nevada and Congresswoman Berkley requesting them to support an investigation into Mike Nifong and his practices.
I hope all Duke supporters call and FAX their represenatives,
To 5:34
Ho Ho Ho. 2 eye witnesses indeed. Eye witnesses to what? It was already desperately crowded in that tiny bathroom. Little Kim might be thought of as an eye-witness but the police/Nifong forgot to interview her again to reconcile the irreconcilable differences between their sworn, written statements as to what happened that night.
I do get the impression that Durham contains more than enough amoral people willing to testify to almost anything for a break on their probation. But they would still be perjuring themselves and I bet you, as I write this, that those would-be collaborators are having second thoughts.
They are thinking, "Just how good at lie-ing to Federal Investigators do I think I am can be? Is what Nifong offerring me worth it? Will he break under their questions and hang me out to dry!!!"
Yes, those middle of the night-terrors. They are just getting started.
You can all go and write to anyone you want, but the earth shaking news will be presented on Friday. It will hit you all like a big brick.
We won't need to wait for Friday. If the herald sun did what they did last time we will all know be tomorrow night.
Nifong seems to go to them to leak everything because the H-S has no pride in being a good paper.
Thank you, Rep. Jones. I hope more public officials follow in your footsteps.
To 6:00
Your shooting blanks, dude. We have all noticed that you have not actually committed yourself to saying that what these "witnesses" might say is TRUE!
See, that is the main thing; the difference between psycho-witnesses and something called Evidence.
Besides, whoever got dragooned into Nifongs scam-world is for sure having second thoughts. They never signed onto this - dealing with Federal Experts instead of Nifong cronies/Durham sychophants.
Hey Cash, would you testify UNDER OATH to anything that supported the AVs account of events?
At the final line up the false accuser picked FOUR (4) guys. That's right 4!!! However, one of the guys she picked was in Raleigh so Gotlieb just passed him by. This is a glaring example of the police work performed under Nifong's direction.
KC,
Do you have any idea why the cable news channels--particularly FOX News--haven't picked up on these recent issues of prosecutorial misconduct. Have you sent any of your posts to the NY Sun, or any of the major cable News Networks to see if they could do a follow up story to perhaps dramatize this case back into the limelight?
****************************************************************
On a totally unrelated note, have you ever investigated the greatest education scandal: the behavioral/disciplinary problems that are rampant in the NYC school system. Sadly, when students' behave in school they are exhibiting atypical behavior. The norm is when students' are disruptive and argumentative. Since schools are confronted with so many incidents students effectively get away with almost everything, from throwing objects at each other to cursing, stealing and fighting with little or no consequences to dissuade them a second time. Today, for example, in the school that I work at--which is considered one of the best JHS's in the city--a student launched a History textbook at his teacher. Question: What did they do? Answer: Held the entire class for 35 minutes essentially a form of necessary collective guilt in my opinion. This minor punishment for assaulting a teacher, unintentionally, emboldened almost all of the students. I guess this is public schools dirty and smelly secret.
What is it going to take for teachers in K-12 to regain a semblance of power, authority, and respect--suing for an unsafe work environment?
PS the best way to investigate this situation, in my uninformed opinion, would be for a reporter/journalist/professor to go in as a Per Diem Substitute--to multiple schools--and chronicle and/or anecdote each event as it rapidly unfolds.
Feel free to comment,
RM PAM
This is absolutely terrific news! It is very important that we take the very NECESSARY follow-up action of flooding the DOJ with phone calls in support of the Congressman's demand for a Federal inquiry into the prosecution of the Duke Lacrosse case.
The actions of the District Attorney have been dispicable. His misconduct and abuse of the power of his office have been devastating to the accused and their families. They deserve justice. It certainly will not come at the hands of Mr. Nifong.
I know from experience that a flooded switchboard at the DOJ gets attention. PLEASE CALL. AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO AS WELL.
DOJ MAIN NUMBER: 202 514 2000
ATTORNEY GENERAL: 202 353 1555.
Also, a thank you to Congressman Jones is certainly in order.
202 225 3415 or 252 931 1003
Fox News is now picking up on the D.A. Nifong Story
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236106,00.html
If the link doesn't work than just go to foxnews.com
Gretta on Foxnews at 10 pm eastern timewill have Congessman Jones on.
I served in NC house with Walter, he is a straight up guy. His dad served in the same house seat for 100 years and Walter changed parties to GOP to keep it in the family. Don't get excited about this Walter is looking for some publicity. He doesn't usually stand up for anything, that wasn't a free ride. His district is safe GOP and way east of Durham. That being said, no one else in NC has said a damn thing, GO WALTER. Maybe I should lighten up.
Oh, one other thing, talked to my Bar Counselor friend, and he insisted that nifungu is going down before Christmas, which might explain Walter's sudden righteous indignation, he's been tipped off. DA Huh, his family has owned a congressional seat for over 50 years, thinks he know something??
Let see in the next week how many NC politicians drop nifungu. If we see a mass movement, then my sources are on target. There are no secrets in NC
7:52 pm said
Walter's dad served in Congress for 100 years. Damn,is he still alive or did he die at age of 1125?
Only in North Carolina!
http://www.wral.com/news/10519097/detail.html
We will see, Nifong will come forward with his 2 witnesses on Friday and that will shake the world of Durham
Congressman Jones has taken the first step to this country gaining any trust back in its judicial system. Congressman and Senators from NY, NJ and Maryland should also be speaking out against Nifongs prosocutorial misconduct. Where are they? Are they to concerned for their own political agendas than they are for the Constitution and thier constituants. No matter what state you live in let your Senators and Congressman know you want Federal intervention. If the defense had anything to hide they wouldn't be pleading for a Federal investigation. Make those calls today. Thanks you Congressman Jones, you had the courage and the integrity to make this demand of your government.
Nifong has nothing but a lying hooker and that is it. Like they say garbage in garbage out. The defense will win.
5:09 Anon:
5:09, I searched for 'walter jones' on the H-S site, 2 headlines/articles regarding Rep Jones' request show up, but the links are dead:
http://www.heraldsun.com/nationworld/national/30-798673.html
&
http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-798622.html
Just to show how lame the H-S really is, as if we needed more evidence - their lead Durham news story online is still yesterday's news that that former New Hanover County sheriff’s deputy has been indicted for murder - with no correction on the article page.
The N&O, otoh, has the news that the indictment was dismissed and charges dropped today.
"Interesting that this story is posted on Yahoo news, WRAL.com, newsandobserver.com, but it is still curiously absent from the Herald Sun?
"
To Cash Michaels and his fans,
Even if the exculpatory evidence could miraculously be explained away and DA Nifong conjured the two most perfect witnesses, the DA's transgressions remain what they are. Constitutional protections obtain regardless of the guilt or innocence of the denfendant.
Observer
saw van S show: is it me, or is that 1 poorly produced show?
those
"experts" (with exception of pirro) struck me as ready-for-walmart fonts of info--lol
y didn't they have someone on who is familiar with the workings of the justice dept?
imo, whichever atty (believe it was osborn) is focusing on precious's psychotic behavior is onto something--don't think she had any agenda at all--she just a bit manic depressive--jc
4:34 Nifong doesn't have ANY of his bases covered. Just you wait and see. He has made a mockery of our legal system. He will pay dearly for this.
Notorious sexual assaults at Duke in 2004 and 2002 were hoaxes
In Spring 2002, a freshman had terrified the campus community two years prior by alleging that she had been “beaten and sexually assaulted after being sprayed in the eyes with a liquid as she exited a stall in a Randolph Dormitory bathroom” (having been “blinded,” she could not identify her attacker). Women wrote to the Duke Chronicle of their fear of being on campus. Duke began offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the assailant before he attacked again.
http://triangle.johnlocke.org/blog/
7:52.
OK it seemed like a 100 years, he was the king of pork and a blue dog democrat, but a jesse crat too, understand? Walter is a nice guy, never introduced a bill in the nc house, just waiting for his time to take his dad's seat. And that is not all bad, he's not f**ked up and he is connected and now he has made drudge, the highlight of his career
Nifong can't INVENT new witnesses. He has an obligation to reveal them via discovery. If he tries to claim "they just came forward" or "they just gave formal statements" he is committing a greater degree of MISCONDUCT. In either case, I don't think a professional witness will be able to stand up to cross. Even Lax players will be hard to coach let alone reveal.
Anyone have a link to Gottlieb's report?
Can someone please clarify who the two witnesses are to whom jason is referring, or is this just a bunch of troll nonsense?
i am grateful to congressman Jones for bringing attention this case to the attention of DOJ and the Attornney Genetal. Jones can be Jack the Ripper as long as he help with this miscarriage of justice.
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