TSColdMan (MJJF)
CHECKED TRANSCRIPT OF TAIBBI'S REPORT (MSNBC - Abrams Show)
Well, as you know, the prosecutors didn't just allege it themselves. They did call these witnesses, one in particular, who specified to what she claimed she witnessed about Michael Jackson's alleged misbehavior with young boys, including the two witnesses today. Tom Mesereau, chief defense attorney for Michael Jackson, brought on two witnesses to start right out, Wade Robson, choreographer, and another Australian, Brett Barnes, and quickly, set off to the races, 12 minutes and 8 minutes, to get them to say it didn't happen. The exact exchange -- the money exchange, if you will:
Q: "Did he ever molest you at any time?"
A: "Absolutely not."
Q: "Did he ever touch you in a sexual way?"
A: "Never."
No questions, no equivocations whatsoever. With Brett Barnes - the second witness:
Q: "Did Michael Jackson ever molest you or touch you inappropriately?
A: "Absolutely not, I can tell you, if he did, I wouldn't be here right now."
Q: "Why not?"
A: "I wouldn't stand for it,"
We had the question yesterday about how the prosecution would answer and challenge witnesses who would get up and say it's all lies, that it didn't happen. Well, the short answer, they are going to come back with both barrels, with everything they got. Ron Zonen came on and basically tried everything. They tried to suggest, for example, things did happen, they might have happened when you were asleep. The exchange was interesting.
Q: "What you are really saying -- is that nothing happened while you were awake?"
A: "I think something like that would wake me up."
He then brought out some of the 1108 evidence, these two books, one, "The Boy" and the other, "Boys Will Be Boys", and basically suggested that that material, coupled with other adult material, pornographic, suggested that Jackson sleeping with boys, sharing his bed, was by definition, inappropriate...
Q: "Don't you think so?"
A: "Well, I would think so, but not if you know Mr. Jackson, and I know Mr. Jackson."
We just finished with the cross examination and redirect of Barnes. That's over. Tomorrow, will be the parents -- mother and sister.
...
I do want to get in, because I don't know what Geoffrey Fieger means by that. If you, Geoffrey Fieger were named as a person for 12 years, who when you were a boy, were molested by somebody, wouldn't you at some point want to correct the record? Now, Brett Barnes was asked that question today:
Q: "Why are you here?"
A: "Look, I am very mad about it. They are putting my name in the dirt, and it's not true. I am really, really, really not happy about it."
His explanation for it. I know I'd want to know that. And if in a criminal trial I was named as one of the victims, and I wasn't a victim, I'd [unaudible].