Rightwing websites are trying hard to create a mountain of shame for Hillary Clinton in her  representation of an accused rapist as a court-appointed lawyer in a 1975 case in Fayetteville. It’s not a new story, but the recent unearthing in the UA archives of an interview she gave Roy Reed about the case has reopened the subject.

The national media has picked up some of the right-wing reporting, but has declined to fully re-examine the case. There have been some significant omissions, as Michael Cook points out in a piece in Talk Business.

Advertisement

She was appointed by a circuit judge to the case. The accused rapist wanted a woman lawyer, of which there were only a handful in Washington County at the time. And, then-Prosecutor Mahlon Gibson tells Cook, Clinton didn’t want the case because she didn’t feel comfortable representing the accused. Unable to get off the case, she did what lawyers are ethically bound to do — represent the accused to the best of her ability and raise doubt about the evidence. The result was a light sentence. As Gibson notes, Clinton went on to establish a rape hotline in Washington County.

Callous bitch insensitive to a 12-year-old victim? Able lawyer doing her job and with a lengthy record of support for women? You’d have to be blindly partisan to adopt the first position without qualification.

Advertisement

Though some mainstream press has picked up the reporting begun by the rightwing Washington Free Beacon, including at least one interview with the now 51-year-old victim (she told an interviewer in 2008 that Clinton was just doing her job; now she’s critical), nobody until Cook was interested in the prosecutor. He’s readily available. Why didn’t anyone call? Not news? Didn’t fit the narrative? Anyway, Michael Cook called.

Be a Part of the Fight

Step up and make a difference by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, the progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock that's been fighting for truth for 50 years. Our tough, determined, and feisty journalism has earned us over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, all of whom value our commitment to holding the powerful accountable. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Join us in the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article Mike Ross: The education governor Next article More un-lobbying for a state broadband network