Montgomery sent wrong message with political rant
Last Friday, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery filed a cryptic little tweet saying:
Why was such a reminder necessary?
Because Montgomery was trying to separate the prosecutor’s office he runs with some of his personal statements about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Particularly since some people might view his comments as being harshly dismissive of the accusations against Kavanaugh by Christine Blasey Ford.
For, example, Montgomery retweeted a ranting tweet by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham that reads:
Montgomery not only retweeted Graham’s rant, but also tossed in some ugly, dismissive language of his own, tweeting: Don’t get me wrong.
As a private citizen, Bill Montgomery has every right to express his opinions on the news of the day.
If he wants to rant about foreign policy or the September slump of the Arizona Diamondbacks or the best place in Phoenix to get Neapolitan pizza, more power to him.
But this is a little different. Montgomery may be tweeting on his personal account, but he is still well-known as the Maricopa County Attorney.
As such, he is the person ultimately responsible for prosecuting sexual predators and providing a sense of justice and comfort to the victims of those crimes.
Speaking so callously and dismissively of Ford’s appearance at the hearing isn’t exactly sending a message of comfort and support of potential victims in Maricopa County.
Particularly since we know that his remarks were made at a time when no law-enforcement agency had done a serious investigation into Ford’s claims.
Also, how helpful is it to call the Democrats who were showing the most empathy for Ford a “pack of hyenas?” It’s making presumptions about individuals who, at the very least, are giving an accuser the ability to state her case in a safe environment.
Isn’t that also what Montgomery’s office is supposed to do?
Montgomery answered those who criticized him on Twitter, some of whom questioned his ability to do an unbiased job, by saying:
“You confuse my observation of the process with responsibility for the process.”
Montgomery also told his critics that he doesn’t play politics when it comes to prosecutions, saying:
“I’ve never seen a criminal check a victim’s voter registration before victimizing them. We don’t check, either. As for defendants, their registration is neither a mitigating nor aggravating factor. Truth has no party and justice is about right and wrong not right or left, D or R.”
If that’s true, why refer to a group of Ds “hyenas?”
And why be dismissive of a potential victim when the accused is a highpowered R?
The comments Montgomery made don’t come across as his “observation of the process.”
They come across as partisan, political zealotry.
That’s perfectly fine in a private citizen.
Not so great in a county attorney.