Jackson Arraignment – Bullet #65 Update

[b]Jackson Arraignment – MJEOL Bullet #65[/b] [i]Update[/i] Michael Jackson was arraigned today on false allegations of child molestation. Jackson pled “not guilty” as we were told he would. Janet, Tito, and Jermaine could be spotted entering the courthouse as were Jackson’s mother and father. He arrived in the courtroom about 20 minutes late for the proceedings, for which the judge “admonished” him. However, MSNBC reported that Jackson was concerned about other family members who were arriving by bus after they had bus trouble. The new addition to the defense team, Ben Brafman, also added that it took about 20 minutes for Jackson’s vehicle to make it through all the throngs of media and fans running in the middle of the street while Jackson was coming to the courthouse. If you have seen any footage of today’s events, you can see an illustration of what Brafman was referring to. Contrary to what correspondents have to say, our sources say the sheriff’s department set the number of fans outside the courtroom at 2300 – 3000 people. The judge ruled that the search warrant will remained sealed and has issued a limited gag order. The gag order does not extend to Jackson’s family members. Larry Feldman, the attorney for the accuser and the attorney for the accuser in 1993, has already done an interview with 20/20 to be broadcasted tonight; no doubt defaming Jackson and trying to convince the public of his guilt in the 1993 case and this current case. The gag order apparently won’t apply to prosecution mouth-pieces like Diane Dimond, Court TV, and Celebrity Justice. Jackson has invited his fans to Neverland after the arraignment, which was reported earlier this week despite the media’s dumbstruck behavior. Some talking heads–obviously not familiar with the relationship Jackson has with his fans, nor the evidence exonerating him–have poo-pooed this decision. They have also used it to draw unfounded conclusions about who is in control, claiming the Nation of Islam is controlling Jackson. As was evidenced outside the courthouse, obviously Jackson is in charge—a point which is interesting because just up until this morning, they were ranting about the Nation of Islam taking over Jackson’s life. Looks like the media is once again changing the “facts” to fit whatever inane argument they are trying to make at the moment. What is incredible is the amount of criticism Jackson has gotten for acknowledging the fans outside of the courthouse. At one point, Jackson stood on top of his SUV so that fans further away would not feel cheated. Remember, these people have traveled from all over the globe just to show their support and belief in his innocence. I submit, however, that if Jackson walked right past the fans, got into the vehicle and left, the press would be criticizing him for not acknowledging them even though they’ve come from all over the world. It’s obvious that Jackson will get criticized no matter what he decides to do. What is more eye-opening, however, is the background of Jackson’s new addition to his legal team. Ben Brafman is a prominent New York attorney who once served as the assistant district attorney in the Rackets Bureau in the Manhattan DA’s office. He has a history of prosecuting white collar crimes such as fraud, racketeering, and political and official corruption. This sticks out because Gary Dunlap, an attorney suing Sneddon for $10M, has accused Sneddon and the DA’s office of racketeering, witness tampering, corruption and violating his[Dunlap’s] civil rights during his case. What role, if any, Brafman will play in possible litigation in the future against the Santa Barbara district attorney’s office remains to be seen. More later. Stay tuned. -MJEOL