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Home Front: WoT
Moussaoui Trial In Jeopardy
2006-03-13
An angry federal judge called a recess Monday to consider whether government violations of her rules against coaching witnesses should remove the death penalty as an option in the sentencing trial of confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. Brinkema said seven potential government and defense witnesses may have been tainted after receiving e-mails from a Transportation Security Administration lawyer with trial transcripts, in violation of her order. She said there's a very real possibility the witnesses were coached. "An attorney for the TSA ... egregiously breached that order," she told jurors before excusing them.

Of the seven witnesses, three were to testify for the government and four were potential defense witnesses. Brinkema wanted to hear Tuesday from the seven witnesses and from the attorney who contacted them to help her decide whether to throw out the government's case. If she does, Moussaoui would escape the possibility of execution and be sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.

Even prosecutor [David] Novak conceded that the witness coaching was "horrendously wrong."

According to descriptions by the lawyers in court, it appeared that [Carla Martin] a female Transportation Security Administration attorney who had attended closed hearings in the case went over with the four coming witnesses the opening statements at the trial, the government's strategy and even the transcript of the questioning of an FBI agent on the first day. "She was at the Classified Information Act procedures hearing and she should have known it was wrong," Novak said.
Posted by:Seafarious

#11  FDR had used military tribunals against the German saboteurs who landed on Long Island during WW2, two of whom were naturalized American citizens. That's right - Americans. And FDR was later upheld by the Supreme Court. This admitted terrorist is NOT a citizen and he gets a US court. This case, from its inception, is a cogent argument in favor of Club Gitmo and military tribunals.
Posted by: doc   2006-03-13 22:11  

#10  Moussaoui was complicit in committing an act of war against the United States and was not in military uniform. If that's not grounds for a date with a firing squad - what is?
Posted by: DMFD   2006-03-13 21:34  

#9  He'd be protected by his co-religionists in the prison.

A "Target Rich®" environment
Posted by: Mullah Richard   2006-03-13 16:53  

#8  He'd be protected by his co-religionists in the prison.

Let them interpose their bodies, for all of the good it would do him. Methinks the Aryan Brotherhood would welcome an opportunity.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-03-13 16:49  

#7  Just incarcerate him with the general population and that'll change. Jeffrey Dahmer's prison lifespan would look enviable by comparison.

I doubt it. He'd be protected by his co-religionists in the prison.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-03-13 16:37  

#6  ... the death penalty case against Moussaoui wasn't a very good bet.

Just incarcerate him with the general population and that'll change. Jeffrey Dahmer's prison lifespan would look enviable by comparison.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-03-13 16:29  

#5  These guys are going to screw this up to the point he walks. It sounds like she released classified documents to whitnesses as well. This guy confesses and we still can't get it right! The fed judge has every right to be pissed, imagine being the judge that has to let this scum live. The judge must now report her to the bar and get this TSA attorney disbarred for being stupid. Hopefully it will be the New YUork Bar assoc that get to decide her fate.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2006-03-13 16:28  

#4  Let's not go nuts here. Yes, Ms. Martin messed up. Bad.

But even without Ms Martin's error, the death penalty case against Moussaoui wasn't a very good bet. It required a novel logical link between a Moussaoui non action (he did not provide correct testimony) and whether such testimony would have prevented the 9-11 atrocities. A death penalty would have been instantly appealed and quite possible overturned.
Posted by: mhw   2006-03-13 16:13  

#3  Hell, just tell the judge directly, we'll release the dude with specified time, date, and location so the American people can rendure justice which, like the court in the Hague is unable/unwilling to do.
Posted by: Spaviling Sneatch6753   2006-03-13 15:50  

#2  Carla needs to be disbarred for life
Posted by: Frank G   2006-03-13 15:14  

#1  "She was at the Classified Information Act procedures hearing and she should have known it was wrong," Novak said.

If Carla Martin's actions cause Moussaoui to evade the needle, she should be forced to pay for the cost of jailing this maggot for life. Should there be conclusive evidence indicating Martin knew in advance that her actions were a direct violation of court instructions, she should be jailed as well. Preferrably, with Moussaoui.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-03-13 14:22  

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