RINGSIDE POLITICS – MARCH 16. 2021

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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) The attorney for fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin asked a judge Monday to postpone and move his murder trial to another city, saying Friday’s highly publicized $27 million settlement between the city of Minneapolis and George Floyd’s family unfairly taints prospective jurors and violates his client’s constitutional right to a fair trial.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill did not immediately rule on the motions, and said he would take them under advisement as the trial seemed primed to coast through jury selection and toward testimony after seven jurors were seated last week and an appellate court matter was settled.

2) Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is facing backlash for comments he made Thursday about Black Lives Matter and antifa that have been deemed “racist” and “unacceptable.”

Johnson, a Republican, told a Wisconsin Radio show host that he was not concerned for his safety during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which left five dead, but that he may have been if the protesters had been linked to those groups.

Johnson said he “never really felt threatened” because the protesters were largely “people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law.”

3) Charlotte Bennett, one of the women accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, met with investigators from the state’s attorney general’s office for more than four hours on Monday and handed over more than 120 pages of records, her attorney said. Cuomo is facing increasing pressure to resign, and state lawmakers have launched an impeachment investigation into the allegations against him.

In a statement, Bennett’s attorney said she remains “confident” that the state attorney general’s investigation will substantiate Bennett’s claims of sexual harassment against Cuomo, as well as her claims that his staff failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements after she disclosed her allegations to a supervisor.

Bennett detailed her allegations in an interview with “CBS Evening News” earlier this month. She alleged Cuomo repeatedly asked her inappropriate questions, including whether her experience with sexual assault had impacted her sex life and whether she’d be comfortable dating an older man. She also claimed he told her that he was looking for a girlfriend and would date anyone over the age of 22.

4) Stacey Abrams has described Republican efforts to restrict voting rights in Georgia as “racist” and “a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie”.

Abrams, who helped Democrats win two key US Senate runoff elections in her home state in January that gave the party a narrow control of the chamber, is a leading critic of voter suppression efforts by Republicans.

The bill in Georgia, SB241, includes various measures including ending the right to vote by mail without having to provide an excuse, and other new identification requirements. Republicans have held up what they say is a risk of voter fraud as justification for the legislation despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing.

Today’s Guests:

1) Steve Moore, Former Trump Economic Advisor – calls in the first hour to discuss the economic impact of the events this new year.

2) Jason Johnson, President, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund – joins the show to discuss the growing border situation.

3) Michelle Hirstius; Ringside All-Star – calls in to discuss the events of the day and opine with callers.