Judge declares Marjorie Taylor Green a hostile witness

[RKP5637]

https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-testimony/?recip_id=31440&list_id=1

A judge declared Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) an adverse witness after she repeatedly evaded questions by an attorney who represents voters challenging her eligibility to hold federal office.

The Georgia Republican testified Friday during an evidentiary hearing in the lawsuit, which argues that Greene should be removed from the 2022 ballot because she supported the Jan. 6 insurrection, and she clashed with Free Speech for People attorney Andrew Celli over whether she believed in December 2020 that Donald Trump's election loss was fraudulent.

"When you sent out this tweet, you wanted people to read the tweet and know that it was your view that the vote for Mr. Biden for president was fraudulent, or some of them were," Celli said, but Greene denied that. "I am asking when you sent this, you are communicating to your people who read this Twitter account that you believe that there were fraudulent votes for Mr. Biden, and your goal was to keep the president in the White House."

Greene said she was looking for a senator to join her objection to Biden's election, which she said was her responsibility as a member of Congress.

"I'm entitled to get answers to my question, your honor," Celli said. "Can I ask the court to acknowledge that this is an adverse witness, a hostile witness?"

The judge agreed, saying Greene was an adverse witness and the attorney had a right to cross examine her.

"I would ask the court to remind the witness that in this posture, she has to answer my questions, she cannot give speeches," Celli said. "Is that fair?"

[JohnSJ]

1. Hold her in contempt unless she takes the fifth

[Harker]

16. I sure do. n/t

[JohnSJ]

19. +++

[JMCKUSICK]

2. I wish the plaintiffs lawyer had better anticipated how unresponsive MTG would be.

I have watched several hours of this hearing and I feel so frustrated that I have seen him drop lines of questioning in an apparent lack of full evidentiary back up to lock her down in her words. I've been pulling my hair out.

[packman]

5. Agree - She needs to be nailed down

She is weaseling (apologies to weasels) her way out of a lot.

[oldsoftie]

64. I'd bet she's been nailed down several times to get where she is.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. Hostile. That's an understatement

[housecat]

23. That's good news

[uponit7771]

38. How does this help the plantiffs? Thx in advance

[Ms. Toad]

46. It doesn't. It's just posturing.

As a general rule, when you are being questioned by the attorney which brought you to the dance you have to ask open-ended questions. When you are being questioned by opposing counsel, opposing counsel is given more control over the questions. You can lead he witness, ask more direct question, etc.

Occasionally, as an attorney, you bring someone to the dance who decides they like someone else better. At that time, you ask the judge to declare them a hostile witness, and you can treat them as if they were a witness for the other side.

She was being questioned by opposing counsel (the attorney for the voters), and it was the opposing counsel who asked the judge to declare her a hostile witness (which is already presumed since it is opposing counsel asking the questions). Someone who already has latitude in questioning a witness doesn't get more latitude by having them declared hostile.

The only relevant portion of the exchange was the admonition by the judge that she actually has to answer the question, not give speeches.

[uponit7771]

49. thx !!

[housecat]

59. Plaintiff can ask leading questions with yes/no responses as in cross-examination

[brewens]

40. There should also be a Snotty witness classification. I don't what they would do with that, but

it should still be a thing in her case.

[AllaN01Bear]

4. havent been watching as i dont want to throw my computer out the window.

lemme guess. i dont remember , i dont recall, etc.

[sop]

6. I watched her for a few minutes, but couldn't bear listening to her whiny voice or looking at her

primitive face.

[KPN]

10. "Primitive face" -- perfect word choice for a sense

that I have had but been unable to put words to.

[brush]

18. With those dead, black eyes.

[ShazzieB]

26. Those beady little eyes really bug me.

I have a thing about eyes that are too close together, and if hers were any closer, they'd overlap. I know it's not fair to judge people on superficial things like looks, but with certain people I can't seem to help it. In the case of MTG, I can no longer look at physical appearance in an unbiased way, because of the raw sewage I've heard spewing from her mouth and seen in her tweets.

I'm so offended and appalled by her words and actions that I can no longer separate things like her little beady eyes from my overall feelings of disgust and revulsion towards her.

[brush]

28. Same here. She has no boundries, calls the President of the United States...

mentally incompetent and speaks at white supremacy conferences.

And also mistakes gazpacho for Gestapo...so who's mentally incompetent?

[Emile]

30. She is ugly inside. She was hit with a big ugly stick

the day she was born.

[LakeArenal]

58. I think she wasn't born this way. She was groomed to be a racists bitch.

We avoid the last word way to often.

[smirkymonkey]

52. I feel the same way about her. It's the same way with Trump.

They are both hideous inside and out, but it's really who they are on the inside that makes them so repulsive looking on the outside. They are both such vile, awful human beings.

[Harker]

14. She looks similar to many forensically recreated Neanderthals. n/t

[soldierant]

22. Neanderthals were better than that

particularly with regard to violence - they were more gentle than H sapiens. Which is why H sapiens is the domiant species today and Neadnsthels are forgotten.

[Harker]

24. Purely a physical resemblance.

I'm all for gentleness.

[speak easy]

44. We simply don't know why Neanderthals disappeared

Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals co-existed in Europe for 20,000 years.

[housecat]

25. Yes! That's what I see!

[ShazzieB]

27. She doesn't have the requisite brow ridge.

But other than that? No argument!

[Patterson]

31. She looks like a bull terrier.

[Harker]

32. Gads.

There's that, too.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. So glad this terrible person is in the hot seat

[calimary]

8. Keep turning up the heat!

No mercy!!!

[RKP5637]

9. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[twodogsbarking]

11. Can they put the Hannibal Lechter mask on her to protect everyone?

She looks like she could bite.

[MontanaMama]

29. She's probably not vaccinated either...

[RKP5637]

34. She does, doesn't she!!! n/t

[3825-87867]

12. Well, I guess...

It's not easy bein' green(e)...

Maybe Randy or another great parody person could come up with an apropo rendition.


Sorry, Kermit.

[Evolve Dammit]

13. Do we have the wherewithal to hold her accountable for her speech and actions fomenting violence?

I told you before I'm losing faith in this justice system. She is a fucking traitor, insurrectionist that would gladly be a total fascist "leader". Bannon, Meadows, McCarthy, Stone, Don Jr., and of course the Orange Anus himself are traitors and plotted to overthrow our government with Russian assistance and tutelage. What the fuck does it take? Or are we incapable of justice?? It seems so.

[RKP5637]

33. Way way too much lenience IMO. It's damn bizarre. But catch a kid with a little pot

and the system will try to lock them up for years, WTF!!!

[Evolve Dammit]

50. Kinda like fiddling while Rome burns. And yes, there's a good example of two tiered justice.

[empedocles]

15. I vaguely recall a situation, widely reported, where a victim was shot dead at

close range in the backseat of a car.

A person in the front seat at the time - did not 'see' anything. He may have gotten away with that.

[empedocles]

17. I vaguely recall a situation, widely reported, years back, where a victim was shot dead at

close range in the backseat of a car.

A person in the front seat at the time - did not 'see' anything. He may have gotten away with that.

[Kid Berwyn]

20. WHAT A PRECEDENT!

Extend to both chambers. And make sure to kick Ted Cruz and Ass. OUT!

https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count

[Swamp Snob]

21. MTG is a Hostile EVERYTHING

Human, mammal, Earth-dweller, you name it!

[sarge43]

35. With any luck and she keeps spitting venom, next up, contempt of court

Well, I can dream.

[RKP5637]

36. That, would be great! n/t

[Solly Mack]

37. K&R

haha

[spanone]

39. Any consequences for being an adverse/hostile witness?

[live love laugh]

41. What I found in Google ...

A witness is termed hostile, when he gives a certain statement on his knowledge about commission of a crime before the police but refutes it when called as witness before the court during trial. The term "hostile" witness has its genesis in the Common Law.

When you have called a witness and are performing direct examination of this witness (because you believed they would testify as a favorable witness) but they start changing their story and are not cooperating, you may request permission to treat the witness as an adverse witness (aka 'hostile'). This allows the attorney to cross examine the witness.

If the Judge accepts your assertion that the witness is hostile to your case, you are permitted to 'lead' the witness with questions like, 'isn't it true that the light was red when you first observed the blue car?' If the witness is not 'hostile' the lawyer is not permitted to 'lead' the witness, i.e., to suggest the answer to the question...

[spanone]

42. Thank You.

[live love laugh]

43. You're welcome I was wondering the same thing.

[Ms. Toad]

47. Generally correct, but not applicable here.

She was being questioned by opposing counsel (the attorney representing the voters), and is always treated as hostile in terms of the manner of questioning. A hostile witness isn't made more hostile by the judge stating the obvious. This attorney already had the right to use leading questions.

The only meaningful part of the exchange was the admonition by the judge that she has to answer the questions (which has absolutely nothing to do with being treated as a hostile witness).

[Emile]

45. She was in contempt of court by not answering questions. I thought the judge

was bias from the get go by not pressuring her to answer easy questions. The one question where she doesn't remember urging Trump to impose martial law. Seriously, she don't remember whether she urged the president to impose martial law, LOL that's flat out contempt!

[Ms. Toad]

48. She's not in contempt until the judge declares her in contempt.

Contempt is a legal determination by the judge, often with fines or jail time imposed. Not an opinion by someone other than the judge that she should be more forthcoming.

[Emile]

51. Thus proving this judge was bias. Thank you

[Ms. Toad]

60. It actually doesn't prove the judge was biased.

Contempt is a pretty significant finding. Unless the contempt is expressly directed at the judge/court, it is unlikely that the judge will find someone in contempt for slimy question avoidance without the attorney requesting (several times) that the witness be directed to answer the question, the judge directing the witness, and the judge warning the witness that further similar behavior will result in a contempt hearing.

I'm not aware of that happening here. So mere question avoidance doesn't establish anything about whether the judge is biased.

[Emile]

61. Well I see it and you don't. We'll leave it that!

[Casady1]

53. I think this strategy may backfire

It only will motivate these people more. They can use this in their victimization mentality. Besides she is good to use her as what the other side represents.

[Emile]

55. So what strategy is correct? Do nothing

and vote them out of their gerrymandered districts?

[BlueWavePsych]

54. Gangrene is full of

[The Jungle 1]

56. Watching that ugly person squirm was very entertaining.

The question about if green said Pelosi committed treason was classic court room theater. The bearded hag lied until she got caught in open court.

[niyad]

57. I would like to remind moron traitor greene that, in December of 2020, she was not

yet a sworn member of Congress.

[Hotler]

62. Any day we can get a fascist to squirm on the hot seat is a good day.

It's a big let down for people like MTG when they find out that they are not special. It ruins their whole day. And to that I say good.

[Dukkha]

63. She's hostile to the English language

She's makes me envious of the hearing impaired.