Michael A. Orozco had it right — or rather, half-right. Orozco, one of the lawyers for Hal Turner, the Internet radio host accused of making death threats to three federal judges in Chicago, offered as a defense that his client is “nothing but a shock jock.” But Orozco also added, erroneously, that his client is “a journalist simply stating his opinion.”
Turner’s trial is already beginning to look like a media circus — not to mention an embarrassment to the government trying him. It was revealed recently, for example, that the hate- speaking Turner, whom prosecutors have referred to as a white supremacist and “domestic terrorist” who tried to incite his audience to murder three federal appeals judges, was also an F.B.I. informant spewing his racist rhetoric at the agency’s instruction.
Turner’s trial is expected to bring the three judges to the witness stand in the ongoing trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, where the case was moved after Turner’s lawyers successfully argued that he couldn’t obtain a fair hearing in Illinois. Turner is charged with trying to intimidate the judges, who had upheld a handgun ban. He had posted a message on his Web site saying they deserved to be killed — and conveniently provided their contact information and pictures, presumably in case someone wanted to act on his suggestion…
Turner has long been notorious for making anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and white supremacist remarks on his Internet radio show and companion Web site. But last June, when the judges” opinion was released, he posted this message on his site: “The government “especially these three judges “are cunning, ruthless, untrustworthy, disloyal, unpatriotic, deceitful scum.”
Offering that opinion was certainly Turner’s right — but going on to say, “These judges deserve to be killed” may not be.
“That is not just political rhetoric,” said the prosecutor, assistant United States attorney William R. Hogan. “It is not O.K. “very definitely not O.K. “for him to call for their execution and their murder.”
That’s when Michael Orozco chimed in. Not only was Turner just a “shock jock” offering constitutionally-protected “opinion,” he was also speaking and acting in accordance with guidelines the F.B.I. had set out for him as a confidential informer, Orozco noted. In fact, he added, the F.B.I. had even requested that Turner turn up the heat and the volume of his remarks to impress — and perhaps infiltrate — certain shadowy groups the Bureau was looking into.
Turner’s “hand was guided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Orozco said. “He was providing a service. This is betrayal.”
Prosecutor Hogan acknowledged in his opening statement that Turner was an informer for the government, beginning in 2004 and culminating in 2007. Defense attorneys meanwhile have subpoenaed Governor-elect Christie, who had been United States attorney for New Jersey when Turner was working for the Feds, to ask Christie why his office hadn’t prosecuted Turner.
Stay tuned for more “shocking” revelations in the coming days and weeks…
