My Day in Court will come. The US Attorney’s Office Has Given Itself a Head Start
I will defend myself in court against charges stemming from my efforts to help the people of Puerto Rico recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria. I do not doubt that the trial will demonstrate my innocence and confirm that I acted in good faith. I look forward to my attorney calling all the witnesses in my case, which includes FEMA employees (current and former) and congressional aides. Through no fault of their own, potential jurors have already been subject to a campaign of persuasion against me. The reasons for this campaign, and the methods used by prosecutors, should be deeply troubling to everyone reading this piece. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. This represents more than legal gamesmanship: it undermines the very foundation of due process, which in Justice William Rehnquist’s words “means a jury capable and willing to decide the case solely on the evidence before it” (Smith v. Phillips, 1982). 2022 has had a very clear anti-woman theme.