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Legal Analysis With Christopher Darden
Aired December 31, 2003 - 15:01 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I want to bring in Christopher Darden now once again, our CNN legal analyst, for a little bit more insight into all of this.
As we heard Charles Feldman just saying, the sheriff's department sort of trumped what the Jackson camp was hoping for with this investigation by the state attorney general's office.
CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely, and it's pretty clear from that news conference that the sheriff doesn't believe that Michael Jackson's allegations are true, on the one hand. And on the other hand, it appears that he believes that he can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michael Jackson allegations are false.
COLLINS: So what next? I mean, now it seems as though, if in fact these allegations turn out false -- does Mark Geragos have something more to defend, if you will?
DARDEN: Well, certainly, if one were to conclude that Michael Jackson -- Michael Jackson's allegations of police brutality are false, certainly that doesn't necessarily go to the truth of the matter, or the heart of the allegations in his child molestation case.
However, you know, the defense has spun this case into one being about credibility, about the credibility of the victim on the one hand. But on the other hand, they've attempted to show, or convince us that Michael Jackson is credible. And his credibility is being called into question here today.
And, you know, Michael Jackson said all along that this is a vendetta, a conspiracy, that these charges are false. Well, you know - who? Who's really making false charges and against whom? I mean, once you look at this videotape, and listen to the audiotape of the arrest and the transport.
COLINS: And undoubtedly, it certainly does always come down to credibility.
Do you think people are forgetting about the children in all of this?
DARDEN: Well, I think a lot of people have forgotten about the children. Of course, you know, the child's name isn't published or printed. And there are no interviews, or have been no interviews that we know of, you know, in the public with these children.
But the issue is one of child abuse and child molestation and whether or not this child has been victimized. That is the primary issue. And that is probably the issue we should be focusing on rather than the Michael Jackson celebrity and celebrity status and state -- apparent state of weirdness on occasions.
COLLINS: You couldn't be more right on all of those accounts. All right. That is something we'll continue to try to do right here.
Christopher Darden, thanks so much.
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 31, 2003 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I want to bring in Christopher Darden now once again, our CNN legal analyst, for a little bit more insight into all of this.
As we heard Charles Feldman just saying, the sheriff's department sort of trumped what the Jackson camp was hoping for with this investigation by the state attorney general's office.
CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely, and it's pretty clear from that news conference that the sheriff doesn't believe that Michael Jackson's allegations are true, on the one hand. And on the other hand, it appears that he believes that he can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michael Jackson allegations are false.
COLLINS: So what next? I mean, now it seems as though, if in fact these allegations turn out false -- does Mark Geragos have something more to defend, if you will?
DARDEN: Well, certainly, if one were to conclude that Michael Jackson -- Michael Jackson's allegations of police brutality are false, certainly that doesn't necessarily go to the truth of the matter, or the heart of the allegations in his child molestation case.
However, you know, the defense has spun this case into one being about credibility, about the credibility of the victim on the one hand. But on the other hand, they've attempted to show, or convince us that Michael Jackson is credible. And his credibility is being called into question here today.
And, you know, Michael Jackson said all along that this is a vendetta, a conspiracy, that these charges are false. Well, you know - who? Who's really making false charges and against whom? I mean, once you look at this videotape, and listen to the audiotape of the arrest and the transport.
COLINS: And undoubtedly, it certainly does always come down to credibility.
Do you think people are forgetting about the children in all of this?
DARDEN: Well, I think a lot of people have forgotten about the children. Of course, you know, the child's name isn't published or printed. And there are no interviews, or have been no interviews that we know of, you know, in the public with these children.
But the issue is one of child abuse and child molestation and whether or not this child has been victimized. That is the primary issue. And that is probably the issue we should be focusing on rather than the Michael Jackson celebrity and celebrity status and state -- apparent state of weirdness on occasions.
COLLINS: You couldn't be more right on all of those accounts. All right. That is something we'll continue to try to do right here.
Christopher Darden, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
