IN TWEET: DESPITE GOP WHINING, BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECT DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV WILL BE TRIED IN FEDERAL COURT. THE FIRST ROUND OF JUSTICE WAS SERVED BEDSIDE. READ THE TRANSCRIPT BELOW.
It seems perfectly fitting that surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received his first criminal hearing on the one week anniversary of the crime he is accused of committing. Like so much of what has transpired in and around Boston this past week, the hearing itself was rather extraordinary. Still hospitalized and barely able to speak, justice came to Tsarnaev…literally.
Judge Marianne B. Bowler held the first hearing of United States of America v. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in his hospital room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, barely two miles from the site of the bombings. The hearing included a formal reading of the suspect’s Miranda rights and assignment of a Federal public defender.
Despite a round of shameless political demagoguery by the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-KY), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), the Obama Administration said “thanks, but no thanks” to calls for Tsarnaev to be classified as an enemy combatant. The terrible track record of military commission hearings aside, it is unconstitutional for a citizen of the United States to be deprived of their right to a fair trial. Tsarnaev is a naturalized U.S. citizen.CLICK HERE for an excellent overview of the case against Tsarnaev by Jeffrey Toobin, from The New Yorker.
CLICK HERE to visit the news archive of RONTHINK coverage of the bombing and subsequent manhunt.
CLICK HERE to read the PDF of the criminal complaint against Tsarnaev, filed on 4/21/13.
NOTE: Use the scroll bar on the RIGHT side of the PDF viewer to navigate up/down through the document. Use the scroll bar at the BOTTOM of the PDF viewer to center the document. If the thumbnail preview pane on the LEFT side of the window is open, close it by clicking on the small arrow at the TOP LEFT corner of the PDF viewer. This will give you a full left/right view of each page. If you are on a mobile device or have trouble viewing the PDF in this post, CLICK HERE to view the document on the web.