"Running Commentary"
Me, Bruce And Robert
If I needed something stronger than caffeine to jolt me out of my pandemic-induced cabin fever, I got it in spades watching the evening news this week. I often don’t bother watching – the news is too depressing. This week, I’m glad I did.
Once again, my hair stood on end, and this time I wasn’t electrocuted. What I heard on virtually every national media outlet was shocking enough. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post – everyone reported it.
I planned on writing about something else, but I’m sinking that ship and floating another boat. The news item in question is too juicy to pass up.
Do I have everyone’s rapt attention?
Well, ahem, I hate to drag this out, but first Maestro – we need a little background music. It’s called setting the table. Mixing metaphors further, we can’t jump immediately into the pool off the high dive; we first need to dip our toe in the water to see whether it’s too c-c-c-c-cold to swim.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock inside a cornfield bunker, you probably know that former President Trump was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives.
OH, DEAR LORD! Not another political column!
Hey, relax! I’m getting there. This isn’t about politics.
Cool your after-burners. Stay with me.
The article of impeachment now goes to the Senators who will vote yea or nay to convict, which won’t happen unless 17 Republican Senators cross party lines – something that’s about as likely as Concordia being wiped off the map by a giant meteor the size of Montana.
MEANWHILE, back at the ranch – otherwise known as dumpy ol’ Mar-a-Lago – Trump fired his legal team one week prior to the case going to the Senate. And now, Trump has hired two NEW attorneys to represent his interests in the impeachment trial.
OK, here it comes … Drrrrum rrrrrrroll, please …
One of Trump’s new lawyers is an old friend of mine – Bruce Castor, the former District Attorney of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Bruce Castor? Yep, my old buddy.
I screamed, “YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!!”
Back in my legal beagle days, Bruce and I had a number of cases together, which is somewhat surprising because I didn’t do a lot of criminal defense work.
Meanwhile, let’s skip ahead a few years. After I walked away from my law practice and assumed the mantel of president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, one of my organization’s “big whoop” banquets honored local police and law enforcement officers. The dinner was free to all, spouses included, courtesy of local business sponsors.
The shrewd president of the chamber never advertised that our organization actually made a lot of money on that event, even after paying the expenses for hundreds of roadkill dinners at one of the nicest restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs. Businesses like Verizon and Merck gladly forked over big bucks to honor our local heroes. Indeed, that’s what I named it – the Local Heroes Banquet.
Now you know why they paid me the big bucks.
At one of those banquets, I honored Bruce Castor by presenting him with a plaque that designated the District Attorney as “Law Enforcement Officer of The Year.” In the years that followed, Bruce always told me how much that award meant to him – he said the plaque would follow him wherever he hung his shingle.
After I recovered from the shock of hearing Bruce would represent the former POTUS in the US Senate, I remembered that somewhere in one of my file cabinets, I had kept the transcript of an old case I had with Bruce.
And the reason I kept it? That particular case represented an affirmation of why I decided to go to law school. With finesse and creativity, I was able to help someone – a person who deserved another break. Cases like that confirmed my career decision.
Hey! I found the transcript!
In 1985, a deeply devout Mennonite family approached me about representing their adult son who was arrested and charged with retail theft. Normally, that would result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist; however, in Robert’s case it was the third time he had been caught.
That raised the stakes exponentially. The item Robert pilfered was worth less than four bucks; however, because it was his third violation, Robert now faced jail time for a felony offense. He was a three-time loser.
From the moment I met Robert, I recognized something. Although he had been gainfully employed in a warehouse, Robert seemed “slow.” I thought it possible that he was mentally impaired. The family agreed with my recommendation to have Robert tested with both a psychologist and a psychiatrist experienced in criminal behavior.
My suspicion was confirmed.
Robert’s IQ measured in the mid ‘60’s.
Bruce Castor was initially seeking jail time for Robert; however, after I met with him and showed Bruce the results of the psychological and psychiatric tests, he agreed – no jail time. Probation would be recommended with additional mental health counseling to ensure Robert wouldn’t be back in court again.
It was gut-wrenching. On the witness stand, Robert tearfully told the court he was sorry. The District Attorney was sympathetic and so was the judge.
Robert got probation and counseling.
That day, I got a little weepy myself.
Memo To Self: Send Bruce a text message. I’m available to assist the defense team. Only $20,000 per day, plus expenses. Same as Giuliani. Uhhh … in advance, please. Rmykl@yahoo.com