Today Show: December 19, 2003
MATT LAUER: Some--some of these incidents are alleged to have happened late in February or early March. And I bring this up, Johnnie, because this is after interviewers talked to the boy and his mother, people from the Department of Children and Families. So Michael Jackson would know that those interviews took place. And I guess the question I'm asking is, why then in the weeks following those interviews would he possibly go out and risk committing these types of offenses again?
Mr. COCHRAN: It doesn't make any sense at all. And that's what Geragos is saying. It doesn't make any sense, that--that--that clearly--and the other thing about Mr. Sneddon, these charges had been rejected by Los Angeles County, and then--yet Santa Barbara found a reason to file them. But it would make no sense at all for Michael to do that, or Mr. Geragos, who's involved in the case at that time.
LAUER: Jim, does the timing bother you at all?
Mr. THOMAS: No, I don't think so. I talked to Tom about it at some length after the--the interview, basically, from Los Angeles occurred. And he said that yesterday in his news conference that that's what that was. It really wasn't an investigation. It was an interview. He feels comfortable with the case regardless of that Los Angeles memo.
MATT LAUER: Some--some of these incidents are alleged to have happened late in February or early March. And I bring this up, Johnnie, because this is after interviewers talked to the boy and his mother, people from the Department of Children and Families. So Michael Jackson would know that those interviews took place. And I guess the question I'm asking is, why then in the weeks following those interviews would he possibly go out and risk committing these types of offenses again?
Mr. COCHRAN: It doesn't make any sense at all. And that's what Geragos is saying. It doesn't make any sense, that--that--that clearly--and the other thing about Mr. Sneddon, these charges had been rejected by Los Angeles County, and then--yet Santa Barbara found a reason to file them. But it would make no sense at all for Michael to do that, or Mr. Geragos, who's involved in the case at that time.
LAUER: Jim, does the timing bother you at all?
Mr. THOMAS: No, I don't think so. I talked to Tom about it at some length after the--the interview, basically, from Los Angeles occurred. And he said that yesterday in his news conference that that's what that was. It really wasn't an investigation. It was an interview. He feels comfortable with the case regardless of that Los Angeles memo.