Spouting Off, May 22, 2020
Spouting Off with Karen Kataline
Guest, John O'Connor, San Francisco attorney who revealed the identity of Deep Throat; the source who leaked the key details of President Richard Nixon's Watergate cover-up.
Government gone too far? States rebuked for coronavirus lockdown measures
AG Barr says it’s ‘time to start rolling back’ coronavirus restrictions
Barr orders legal action against governors whose COVID-19 actions infringe on civil rights
LEGAL ANALYST/AUTHOR: John O'Connor, Postgate: How the Washington Post Betrayed Deep Throat, Covered Up Watergate, and Began Today's Partisan Advocacy Journalism He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Northern California from 1974-1979, representing the United States in both criminal and civil cases.
Attorney General William Barr said Friday he believes it’s “time to start rolling back” coronavirus-related restrictions across the country
“It is time to start rolling back some of these restrictions in an orderly and sensible way and the president has provided his Opening the United States Again plan that provides a sensible approach, framework, to that,” Barr said during an "#AsktheAG" Q&A session on Twitter.
In response to one Twitter user who asked how Barr planned to address state and local officials infringing on constitutional rights, the attorney general said that while governments had the right to impose “reasonable and temporary restrictions” during times of emergency, they must justify those restrictions as truly necessary and “ensure there are not other ways to address the interests that are less burdensome.
“Now that the curve has been flattened and the hospital system has not been overwhelmed, it is time to start rolling back some of those restrictions,” Barr reiterated.
TALK TO DEEP THROAT'S LAWYER!
Deep Throat’s lawyer discovers the Washington Post betrayed his client—while covering up the real truth about the Watergate scandal.
The conventional wisdom of Watergate is turned on its head by Postgate, revealing that the Post did not uncover Watergate as much as it covered it up. The Nixon Administration, itself involved in a coverup, was the victim of a journalistic smoke-screen that prevented mitigation of its criminal guilt. As a result of the paper’s successful misdirection, today’s strikingly deceptive partisan journalism can be laid at the doorstep of the Washington Post.
After Deep Throat’s lawyer, author John O’Connor, discovered that the Post had betrayed his client while covering up the truth about Watergate, his indefatigable research resulted in Postgate, a profoundly shocking tale of journalistic deceit.
In an era when numerous modern media outlets rail about the guilt of their political enemies for speaking untruths, Postgate proves that the media can often credibly be viewed as the party actually guilty of deception. Americans today mistrust the major media more than ever. Postgate will prove that this distrust is richly deserved.
PLUG BOOK: Postgate: How the Washington Post Betrayed Deep Throat, Covered Up Watergate, and Began Today's Partisan Advocacy Journalism
BIO: John O’Connor is an experienced trial lawyer, practicing law in San Francisco since 1972. He has tried cases in state and federal court throughout the country. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Northern California from 1974-1979, representing the United States in both criminal and civil cases. Among his interesting assignments have been representation of the government during the OPEC oil embargo of the 1970s; writing Fifth Amendment and “state of mind” briefs for the prosecution in United States v. Patricia Hearst; representing the FDIC, FSLC and RTC during the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s; representing California Attorney General Dan Lungren in campaign-related litigation; defending R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in significant smoking and health litigation; representing Coach Don Nelson in litigation with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban; and representing W. Mark Felt regarding the revelation of his identity as Deep Throat.
Spouting Off
...because, you're better off, when you're Spouting Off!
Karen is well-informed and opinionated, but she also believes that protecting others’ rights to free speech protects our own.
Topics range from the timely to the timeless, but always includes a healthy dose of debate and discussion.
Karen has a healthy sense of humor and a nose for news. She stays on top of the topics people are talking about and often brings you stories you may not have heard. Whatever the subject, Karen usually has an opinion and she welcomes yours too!
If you can’t stand a little rabble-rousing or even some passionate disagreement, you may want to listen with caution. But if you just love mixing it up about the hottest issues of the day, tune in. You might have your mind changed or even change someone else’s!
