Colorful Coleman Spin-Man Withdraws From Courtroom
Ben Ginsberg, the Coleman spokesman/lawyer who has held colorful press conferences attacking the court, the reliability of the election results, and just about everything under the sun that looked bad for Norm Coleman, is no longer seeking to actually work for Norm in the courtroom.
Ginsberg, who was on George W. Bush's legal team during the Florida recount in 2000, has been holding his daily press conferences since the beginning of this trial, billing himself as a Coleman attorney. But it was only last week that he filed his motion for admission pro hac vice -- the filing that an out-of-state lawyer is supposed to make in order to appear before a local court.
Just today, Team Coleman submitted this motion to withdraw the request, which hadn't yet been granted: "Mr. Ginsberg will not participate in the trial and no longer seeks the court's permission to do so."
The real question now is whether Ginsberg will still continue to hold his amazing press conferences -- for example, yesterday he made a now-debunked charge that a heavily Dem county had illegally included 300 bad absentee ballots -- or whether he's now out of this case completely. We could find out tonight.
Josh
Elana
Matt
Eric
Bizarre. Normally Pro Hac Vice is a mere formality. Perhaps they were afraid the court was going to deny Ginsberg because of his outside of the courtroom behavior? There is no better explanation. They had nothing to lose getting him admitted, and it would be the safe thing to do should he be needed for some reason. Very strange.
February 26, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pro hac vice subjects an attorney to the rules of professional responsibility of the court's state. Arguably not if he is not admitted. Makes one wonder whether Minnesota has more restrictive rules on trial publicity and/or respect for the tribunal than the state Ginsberg is licensed in.
February 26, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. The court could sanction him for his antics outside the courtroom.
February 26, 2009 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Either that, or they know the case will be over soon anyway.
February 26, 2009 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
What if Roland Burris picked up Nancy Pelosi, and carried her to the top of the cupola of the Capitol, and they had to fly planes all around in order to knock him off and save Speaker Pelosi? Would the Senate eject ole Roland then?
Hilarious that Blagojevich gave Roland II a job just before Roland I got appointed
February 26, 2009 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder why they tried to get him inside the courtroom. Did they want him for the cross examination of Franken witnesses? Could it be something with paying him out of legal funds raised, that he needed to be in the court to be paid as a lawyer? Did they change their mind because he would be prevented from his press conference antics?
February 26, 2009 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think he wanted in purely because of ego. He felt Coleman's other atty's were messing up and could ride in and save the day.
I agree that potential sanctions were the reason he had second thoughts. My comments on that (posted at DKos) are:
"If he had been admitted, he would be subject to MN bar oversight and could have been sanctioned by the MN courts, up to and including disbarment. Because bar discipline is reciprocal in most jurisdictions, a sanction by MN could affect his standing in DC (where he is licensed) and in front of every other court, state and federal. Staying out allows him to continue making reckless and unsubstantiated claims without risking his license to practice law."
February 26, 2009 6:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone should file a complaint against him in DC for practicing in another jurisdiction without a license.
February 26, 2009 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
My guess is that everything was hunky dory until Ginsberg submitted his bill. Coleman thought that he was getting the Jewish Republican discount and that his conversations with Ginsberg were as friends. But sleazebags like Ginsberg count every minute that they can for billing purposes, even conversations about their kids. So suddenly Coleman realizes that Ginsberg is owed $60k or more for "advice" and "media relations", all of which a PR person would have charged 25% of a lawyers rate. Just a guess.
And this is not to besmirch all lawyers--some are good people but people like Ginsberg....
February 26, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman's an attorney. This is not his first rodeo. He's no stranger to the ambulance chasing pathology. Ginsberg bowed out for whatever personal reason, or someone else decided on a change of strategy.
February 26, 2009 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's not withdrawing from Norm's payroll, he's just passing on the right to appear for him in court.
February 26, 2009 7:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ginsberg will still pull the strings. He won't let go of THIS cash cow.
February 26, 2009 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
My guess, from the arm-chair, is that Ginsberg is out because Ginsberg wanted to be out.
Everyone who reads this on-going post knows I'm convinced that this case is continuing solely because as long as it continues, Al can't add his vote to the current 58.
That said, the antics of Coleman's actual trial team are terribly embarrassing on a professional level. Ginsberg as spinmeister can say whatever the hell he wants, and everyone knows that's his job. Withdrawing his pro hac vice motion gives him plausible deniability that he has anything to do with the in-court dreck that's being spewed.
February 26, 2009 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ginsberg is all about face time on cable. Perhaps he sees the handwriting on the wall and is distancing himself from a lost cause in order not to damage his practice. These guys are all about everyman for himself above all else.
February 26, 2009 6:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is a good sign. Ginsberg's obviously seen the money has dried up and is moving on.
February 26, 2009 6:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
i say that ginsberg is a F'in genius. he got norm to pay lawyer fees for hacktackular PR work every day of the week (except shabbos). he was on the clock from the first phone call of the day until the last drink had been poured down a camera guys throat at the holiday inn bar. a work of pure genius.
February 26, 2009 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
This Ginsberg guy looks like Will Ferrell's Marty Culp character. Ginsberg's extensive direction of the stealing of the 2000 election makes him one of the most despicable characters in American history, as far as I am concerned.
http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/050623/82941__culp_l.jpg
February 26, 2009 11:49 PM | Reply | Permalink