On CNN this afternoon, Wolf Blitzer really antagonized Col. John Galligan (Ret.), the civilian attorney of suspected Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, demanding that Galligan explain how he could “represent someone accused of mass murder.”
Hasan is alleged to be responsible for the shootings at Fort Hood last week that killed 13 servicemen and women and wounded 29 others.
Blitzer suggested his question about representing Hasan came from people who heard he’d be interviewing Galligan.
They asked me, how could a retired U.S. military officer, a full colonel, go ahead and represent someone accused of mass murder? And I want you to explain to our viewers why you’re doing this.
Galligan did: “I fully appreciate the importance of ensuring that everybody has a fair trial.”
The rights that I’m asking be accorded to Major Hasan are the rights that service members live and die for.
That wasn’t quite enough for Blitzer. Before the interview ended, the CNN anchor said of Hasan, “I’m sure he will get a much fairer hearing than those 13 Americans who were brutally gunned down the other day. I’m sure he will get all of the rights that are applied by the military code of justice.”
Galligan bristled. “The difficulty that I have, of course, is when people end discussions with me with references like the one that you just made.”
He continued:
We wanna make sure that everybody watching the process unfold feels comfortable and confident that it’s going to be fair and just.
Late Update: Here’s the video.
