Is Sidney Powell “Unleashing the Kraken”; or, unleashing the Crackpot?”
I’ve often repeated my respect – even admiration – for Ms. Powell, a seasoned attorney who is representing President Trump in his efforts to challenge the supposed election results.
She’s displayed what I have characterized as calm bravery in her presentations. As a trial lawyer for the last three decades or so, I still get tight in the gut when I have to try a case. Even more so when I’m preparing to try one.
Losing a case is never fun; you never get used to the prospect. There’s a group of lawyers who don’t go to court. They are called Not Trial Lawyers.
One tightrope that a trial attorney has to walk is governing their zeal for the cause they champion. Failing to do that puts the lawyer in the position of proving more than he has to – and, what’s worse is proving something that he can’t.
If you lose credibility with the jury – or they think you lied to them – you are (to use a legal phrase) toasted. They’ll throw you out on your ear faster than a Democrat can say, “I love abortion!“
Sidney Powell has made many extraordinary claims, assertions, and accusations. In the last week, I think I’ve watched a dozen or so interviews and pressers. But thus far, she’s not provided any evidence. Waiving a handful of papers in the air is not evidence. That’s a prop.
All the time, I get clients who want me to level lofty accusations. My response is always: “I’ll say anything you want as long as I can prove it.” I’m a real wet blanket that way.
Equally important in making an effective presentation is timing. It’s like comedy, only way more serious. Way more. I don’t have any inside track on her thinking. She may have this all figured out. But at some point, she needs to put up or shut up. She has failed – and now refused – to provide support for her accusations.
Tucker Carlson seems to have commitment to speaking the truth even when it doesn’t fit the narrative he might like. He invited Ms. Powell to come on his show a number of times, even offering to give her the whole hour. The only caveat was to show evidence. She did more than decline; she refused. When the show persisted in the invite, she told them to leave her alone. I doubt she’s going to find a more sympathetic forum. Unless, of course, you include the minds of people content with wishful thinking.
It’s hard enough to win a fight even when you have truth on your side. It’s darn near impossible when all you got is a bucket of wishful thinking. If Ms. Powell has in fact “unleashed the Kraken” as she has claims, the time seems right to at least show us a picture. And not one of those grainy Bigfoot ones.
Of course, Ms. Powell has put herself at great professional risk. More importantly, if she doesn’t deliver the goods, she has managed to deepen the divide, heighten the hostility, and further corrode confidence in the one process – the vote – that is the bedrock of the former Republic.
So, the nation watches Sidney Powell. For her, there is no middle ground. She’ left herself no room to walk it back. That is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. She is poised to be a Joan of Arc figure if she pulls this off. Conversely, she runs the risk of becoming mockingly eponymous just as another woman who was close to a president did: just another woman who can’t keep her mouth shut.
P.S. Sidney Powell responds to Tucker Carlson. Let’s hope she can deliver. I, for one, would love to see the Kraken released!