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American Morning

Jackson Case

Aired December 30, 2003 - 09:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Nation of Islam is denying that it has taken control of Michael Jackson's business affairs. Several reports today quote anonymous members of Jackson's so-called inner circle, as saying that the separatist group is cutting off Jackson from his regular advisers.
Joining us this morning from Los Angeles to talk more about the latest in the case is CNN legal analyst Chris Darden.

Hey, Chris, good morning. Nice to see you.

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to see you.

O'BRIEN: In the wake of this interview on "60 MINUTES," I found it very interesting that many analysts said the biggest problem with the interview is that he raised the issue of police brutality. I'm curious to know if you agree with that and why.

DARDEN: I think that that was a huge issue and a huge problem, because it impacts his credibility. When you look at the videotape of Michael Jackson leaving the jail on the day of his arrest, he appears to be in a good mood, he's smiling, he's waving to the crowd, he doesn't appear to be in pain and he doesn't appear to be impaired in any way. So this would be entirely inconsistent with him having been abused in the jail facility.

O'BRIEN: And of course, he was claiming that he dislocated his shoulder from having his arms pulled back in handcuffs, which clearly can't reach your hands over your head if you've got dislocated shoulders. In addition to that, he talked about the time locked in a bathroom for 45 minutes, about 45 minutes, he said. You're looking here at a photograph of bruises that he said were caused by the handcuffs.

Is all of this easy to prove or disprove? could someone analyze those bruises and say, you know what, those aren't caused by handcuffs, and we can prove that? And what would the impact of that be on his legal case, which really involves something totally different, the child molestation?

DARDEN: You know, there are many, many cameras in jail facilities. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was indeed a camera on Michael Jackson the entire time that he was in that jail facility. It's a little odd that he didn't complain about these injuries earlier. Now, fortunately for Michael Jackson, whether or not he's convicted won't necessarily turn on his credibility, but will likely turn on the credibility of the young boy and his family. But this really doesn't pass the smell test. And I'm a little taken aback by his insistence that he was physically abused by these deputies.

O'BRIEN: Some other people raised issue the about Mark Geragos. OK, your client comes out and says, OK, I was abused by police in the bathroom, sort of silence from his side. He hasn't -- he's not a quiet guy, as we both know. He hasn't held a press conference. He hasn't condemned the police department for that particular action. What do you think that says about what he thinks about what his client is claiming?

DARDEN: Well, in this case, silence might be an admission that things didn't exactly happen the way Michael Jackson says. You know, putting the police on trial is not going to help him a whole lot in this case. They'll very, very effectively spin the case in their favor and against the alleged victim. There is really no need for this. There is no need for this kind of a stretch.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about spin. Stewart Backerman (ph), who was Michael Jackson's PR flack essentially quit. And at the same time, we hear that the nation of Islam -- some reports say -- have moved in. These are people quoted, high-ranking Jackson sources, by some reports are saying that they've moved in, taken over control of the finances, who is paid, who is not paid. Some reports even say they've moved in to, and are working out of Geragos' office and are telling him, the lawyer, what to do. What do you make of those reports, the Nation of Islam, says completely not true, by the way?

DARDEN: Well, it's kind of hard to tell. One thing we know is that Leonard Mohammed was present at Mark Geragos' office on the day that the charges were filed. We know that Leonard Mohammed and members of the Nation of Islam have been present at the Neverland Ranch and have been providing security for Michael Jackson. And then the business manager for Michael Jackson stated that he's making the business decisions, he's writing the checks, and that he's in control in that regard.

But this is not helpful to Michael's case. There are only 2 percent of the population in Santa Barbara County is black. The jurors in his case will likely all be Caucasian. The Nation of Islam is a very, very poor image in communities outside the African-American community. They're viewed as anti-Semites, they're viewed by some as anti-white. This is going to alienate some people, and it's going to alienate potential jurors in Santa Barbara County.

O'BRIEN: Well, again, the Nation the Islam says they'll support Michael Jackson, but they have not stepped in to take over anything, at least that's what they're saying at this time. Chris Darden, thanks for joining us. Always nice to have you. If I don't see you before the New Year, have a Happy New Year.

DARDEN: You too.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 30, 2003 - 09:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Nation of Islam is denying that it has taken control of Michael Jackson's business affairs. Several reports today quote anonymous members of Jackson's so-called inner circle, as saying that the separatist group is cutting off Jackson from his regular advisers.
Joining us this morning from Los Angeles to talk more about the latest in the case is CNN legal analyst Chris Darden.

Hey, Chris, good morning. Nice to see you.

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to see you.

O'BRIEN: In the wake of this interview on "60 MINUTES," I found it very interesting that many analysts said the biggest problem with the interview is that he raised the issue of police brutality. I'm curious to know if you agree with that and why.

DARDEN: I think that that was a huge issue and a huge problem, because it impacts his credibility. When you look at the videotape of Michael Jackson leaving the jail on the day of his arrest, he appears to be in a good mood, he's smiling, he's waving to the crowd, he doesn't appear to be in pain and he doesn't appear to be impaired in any way. So this would be entirely inconsistent with him having been abused in the jail facility.

O'BRIEN: And of course, he was claiming that he dislocated his shoulder from having his arms pulled back in handcuffs, which clearly can't reach your hands over your head if you've got dislocated shoulders. In addition to that, he talked about the time locked in a bathroom for 45 minutes, about 45 minutes, he said. You're looking here at a photograph of bruises that he said were caused by the handcuffs.

Is all of this easy to prove or disprove? could someone analyze those bruises and say, you know what, those aren't caused by handcuffs, and we can prove that? And what would the impact of that be on his legal case, which really involves something totally different, the child molestation?

DARDEN: You know, there are many, many cameras in jail facilities. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was indeed a camera on Michael Jackson the entire time that he was in that jail facility. It's a little odd that he didn't complain about these injuries earlier. Now, fortunately for Michael Jackson, whether or not he's convicted won't necessarily turn on his credibility, but will likely turn on the credibility of the young boy and his family. But this really doesn't pass the smell test. And I'm a little taken aback by his insistence that he was physically abused by these deputies.

O'BRIEN: Some other people raised issue the about Mark Geragos. OK, your client comes out and says, OK, I was abused by police in the bathroom, sort of silence from his side. He hasn't -- he's not a quiet guy, as we both know. He hasn't held a press conference. He hasn't condemned the police department for that particular action. What do you think that says about what he thinks about what his client is claiming?

DARDEN: Well, in this case, silence might be an admission that things didn't exactly happen the way Michael Jackson says. You know, putting the police on trial is not going to help him a whole lot in this case. They'll very, very effectively spin the case in their favor and against the alleged victim. There is really no need for this. There is no need for this kind of a stretch.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about spin. Stewart Backerman (ph), who was Michael Jackson's PR flack essentially quit. And at the same time, we hear that the nation of Islam -- some reports say -- have moved in. These are people quoted, high-ranking Jackson sources, by some reports are saying that they've moved in, taken over control of the finances, who is paid, who is not paid. Some reports even say they've moved in to, and are working out of Geragos' office and are telling him, the lawyer, what to do. What do you make of those reports, the Nation of Islam, says completely not true, by the way?

DARDEN: Well, it's kind of hard to tell. One thing we know is that Leonard Mohammed was present at Mark Geragos' office on the day that the charges were filed. We know that Leonard Mohammed and members of the Nation of Islam have been present at the Neverland Ranch and have been providing security for Michael Jackson. And then the business manager for Michael Jackson stated that he's making the business decisions, he's writing the checks, and that he's in control in that regard.

But this is not helpful to Michael's case. There are only 2 percent of the population in Santa Barbara County is black. The jurors in his case will likely all be Caucasian. The Nation of Islam is a very, very poor image in communities outside the African-American community. They're viewed as anti-Semites, they're viewed by some as anti-white. This is going to alienate some people, and it's going to alienate potential jurors in Santa Barbara County.

O'BRIEN: Well, again, the Nation the Islam says they'll support Michael Jackson, but they have not stepped in to take over anything, at least that's what they're saying at this time. Chris Darden, thanks for joining us. Always nice to have you. If I don't see you before the New Year, have a Happy New Year.

DARDEN: You too.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com