Michael Bloch, a public defender in the Bronx, called out Maggie Haberman in a tweet on Wednesday over the New York Times reporter’s assertion that “prosecutors would not have accepted [former Trump lawyer MIchael] Cohen’s guilty plea if they didn’t believe his information was truthful.”
“I’m no Cohen or Trump fan, and Cohen may well be guilty,” Bloch tweeted. “But prosecutors take plenty of pleas that aren’t truthful.”
Bloch added, “That’s what happens when you threaten someone with 80 years in prison and offer them a deal to 3. It’s pure fiction that only guilty people plead guilty.”
I’m no Cohen or Trump fan, and Cohen may well be guilty, but prosecutors take plenty of pleas that aren’t truthful. That’s what happens when you threaten someone with 80 years in prison and offer them a deal to 3. It’s pure fiction that only guilty people plead guilty. https://t.co/oCbwEO33Ey
— Michael Bloch (@MichaelBloch15) August 22, 2018
Haberman had been criticizing a tweet from the president where he said suspects often “make up stories in order to get a ‘deal'”:
Prosecutors would not have accepted Cohen's plea if they didn't believe his information was truthful. https://t.co/1Xn6too3It
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 22, 2018
Reason editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown added her concern as well:
This is what makes me nervous about everyone’s attitude on Cohen right now https://t.co/wuZUS88ujb
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) August 23, 2018
Recommended
And:
Pleading guilty should never be taken as analogous to actual guilt. Very often it’s the only way for accused to avoid getting even more abused by the state
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) August 23, 2018
More from Bloch here:
Those concerned about innocent folks pleading guilty should check out and support the great work of bail funds like @BKBailFund @bailproject @BronxFreedom. One big reason innocent people plead guilty is they can’t afford to pay bail – a plea is the quickest way out. #endcashbail
— Michael Bloch (@MichaelBloch15) August 23, 2018
And:
It's complicated. Yes I'm sure people sometimes plead rather than roll the dice and fight. But judges are supposed to be a check on that. I remember Judge Kimba Wood demanding US prosecutors present their case before she would approve the plea deal they made with Michael Milken.
— Scott Gurvey (@scottgurvey) August 23, 2018
In theory yes. But I can assure you that judges are hardly a check in the state system. Judges are also overworked, incentivized to resolve cases w/o trials, and often (understandably) know far less about any given case than the advocates. So they’re hesitant to upend plea deals.
— Michael Bloch (@MichaelBloch15) August 23, 2018
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Related:
Kathy Griffin's topless Manafort-Cohen celebration gets the photoshop treatment and IT'S HILARIOUS https://t.co/ZYuwgtqyvU
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 23, 2018
Thanks to Chris Hayes, we now know how the Left is REALLY going to use the Manafort/Cohen news against Trump https://t.co/VYoSs2XyBa
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 22, 2018
SADDEST GOFUNDME EVER! Morning Joe viewers not psyched to contribute to "Michael Cohen Truth Fund" https://t.co/w2ytugzWEW
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 22, 2018
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