Jose Baez: His talking undermines his book promotion - Hal

Jose Baez: His talking undermines his book promotion
posted by halboedeker on July, 7 2012 12:49 PM

The more Jose Baez talks, the more he seems to undermine his book.

His Friday interview with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News Channel clashed with what he’s saying in his book, “Presumed Guilty,” about representing Casey Anthony.

Van Susteren wanted to know if there was anything to corroborate Anthony’s allegation that her father, George, sexually abused her. Baez’s announcement of the allegation was a shocking moment in the trial, and he expands on it in the book.

But just how confident is Baez in the allegation? Baez recounted that he and fellow attorney Cheney Mason confronted George about the accusation. “He didn’t admit to it, but he didn’t deny it,” Baez told Van Susteren. “We found that to be very shocking … We were dumbfounded. We couldn’t understand how he just didn’t deny it. Now again it’s one of those things that it’s more a subjective opinion.”

A subjective opinion? In the book, Baez writes with certainty, based on what Casey told him. He details how he waited a long time for Anthony to share her views, bought her story of abuse and “began to loathe George.”

Baez writes: “George never saw himself as the bad guy. Instead, as is common with abusers, he saw himself as the victim of Casey’s treachery. And like most abusers, he also was a coward.”

Baez writes as if the accusations against George are fact. Baez also buys Casey’s version that Caylee drowned, George found the body, and George offered to take care of the corpse.

In talking to Van Susteren, Baez floated the view that George Anthony didn’t call 911 after the child supposedly drowned because an autopsy might reveal abuse on Caylee’s body.

“I didn’t have any evidence to support it. It was just speculation,” Baez said. “Because of that, I said, ‘No, we can’t go that far.’ I could have argued it, and we could have pushed the issue, I just didn’t feel without some type of corrobration … I didn’t feel comfortable doing [it].”

Seems to me that Baez got pretty far with speculation. He won the case, after all.

If you followed this case closely, you’d want to read his book. His gossipy impressions about people in the trial are far more entertaining than his lectures on the law. But he was a major player, and he wants to settle scores and take a victory lap.

It’s a rough lap. He doesn’t do a very good job in selling the book through his TV appearances. Next up for him: CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” on Monday and ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday.

Van Susteren wanted Baez to disabuse her of the opinion that Casey Anthony was selfish, cold and uncaring. Baez countered that Van Susteren had never sat down and talked to Anthony.

I presume doing that will carry a price tag.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2012/07/jose-baez-his-talking-undermines-his-book-promotion.html