"No proof of wrong" is the language of the guilty and not a ringing endorsement

posted by Bill Arnett @ 9:51 AM Permalink

After I worked as a law enforcement supervisor for the Air Force I then got out and became a bail agent and professional bounty hunter. I learned a great deal about listening to every nuance of every word spoken by anyone I was hunting or had already arrested, and for good reason.

People regularly give away more information than they believe they have depending upon the phrasing they use.

What I am specifically referring to here is a quote from pResident bush in this article in the NYTs regarding the resignation of Abu Gonzales:

Earlier this month, at a news conference, Mr. Bush dismissed accusations that Mr. Gonzales had stonewalled or misled a congressional inquiry. “We’re watching a political exercise,” Mr. Bush said. “I mean, this is a man who has testified, he’s sent thousands of papers up there. There’s no proof of wrong.”

These are the weasel-words language of the guilty. Notice bush never said, "He's innocent," as those words would almost surely come back to haunt him again and again. He has testified. He has sent thousands of papers. And then the dead giveaway of, "There's no proof of wrong."

Now, when I was a bail agent talking to potential bail prospects in jail, I NEVER inquired as to guilt or innocence, but I sure listened carefully to every word. The guy who insisted on his innocence every time I talked to him stood a much better chance of actually being innocent (absent prior convictions) and probably would not pose a serious flight risk.

But anytime a person would keep telling me, "They can't prove anything," I learned to conclude that they did indeed do the crime, might not want to do the time, posed a much greater flight risk, and I therefor secured the bond better and collected much more personal info to make the person I bailed easier to find if or when they boogied.

Suffice it to say I wouldn't post bail for people talking like Abu and bush without a great, great deal of collateral.

Labels: Bush, corruption, Gonzales, Justice Department