Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:

Gloria Allred earns a special place at the Saturday Night Card Game table for her performance this week in jumping the race card shark with a late-September Surprise on Meg Whitman, who is running against Allred's long-time political friend Jerry Brown.

You know the story, about which I posted earlier.  Meg Whitman hired Nicky Diaz Santillan a decade ago through an employment agency, which verified Diaz's legal employment status.  Diaz, at various points, swore under oath as to her legal immigration status, and presented a seemingly real social security card and driver's license.

It is beyond dispute that Whitman complied with the law both in the original hiring and when a letter showed up in 2003 from the IRS Social Security Administration asking Whitman and her husband to verify Diaz's social security number.

Whitman paid Diaz a fair wage ($23 per hour) for her work as a housekeeper, treated her well, and considered Diaz a part of Whitman's extended family. 

When, over a year ago, Diaz confessed that she was in the U.S. illegally, Whitman fulfilled her legal obligation and fired Diaz, but did not take any punitive steps not required by law, such as turning Diaz in to immigration authorities.  Whitman also did not turn Diaz in to federal and state criminal authorities, even though Diaz had violated numerous laws, including filing false paperwork, committing perjury, and fraudulently using someone else's social security number.

Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, Whitman was rewarded with a Gloria Allred organized press conference at which, like an actor on cue, Diaz cried about the bad Whitman, and Allred announced to the world that Whitman knowingly had hired an illegal employee.

As we know, Allred's accusations were false, as Greta Van Susteren so beautifully demonstrated when Greta ripped Allred apart last night for all the nation to see:



As I pointed out previously, there is an equally important issue, which is that Allred exposed her client to serious criminal jeopardy by taking her public in this way.  No one who has seen Allred's long history of publicity stunts could doubt that Allred orchestrated this fiasco for political purposes. 

But in her interview with Mark Levin, Allred claimed that Diaz wanted to do this.  Allred refused to discuss the substance of her advice to Diaz on grounds of attorney-client privilege, so I guess we're supposed to accept that publicity-hound Nicky Diaz forced Allred to go along for the ride.  Note to Gloria - you do not have to help a client commit legal suicide any more than a physician has to help a patient commit physical suicide.

But if all there were here was another cheap Gloria Allred political stunt meant to hurt a Republican, or merely dubious lawyering, Allred would not be a topic for the Saturday Night Card Game.  More than political or legal sin is needed to gain a place at this table.

Allred earns a place at the Saturday Night Card Game table because this was all about racial politics, namely the large Latino vote in California. 

The image of a crying Latina (illegal) immigrant lodging accusations of abuse at Whitman as Allred sat by her side was -- at least at first glance -- political gold for the Brown campaign.  The image of Allred pulling out the seemingly smoking gun and calling Whitman a liar was more of the same.

The timing also was no coincidence, coming just days before the debate sponsored by the Spanish language Univision television network.  Not surprisingly, the Nicky Diaz issue was front and center in the Univision debate which took place earlier today, as reported by Bloomberg:

Meg Whitman, the Republican running for governor of California, and her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown clashed over an undocumented worker who says Whitman employed her knowing she was in the U.S. illegally.

Whitman said Brown used her former housekeeper to further his political ambitions and Brown said Whitman is “talking from both sides of her mouth.”

“Jerry, you know you should be ashamed,” Whitman said, addressing Brown directly during the second of three scheduled debates held at California State University, Fresno. “You put her out there, and you should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions.”

Brown denied that his campaign was behind the allegations and said he has never hired an undocumented worker.

Gloria Allred played the race card this week for political gain.  In so doing, Allred exposed her client to criminal prosecution and deportation.

For the unique combination of political shenanigans, race card politics, and dubious legal strategy,  Gloria Allred deserves a special place at the Saturday Night Card Game table.

--------------------------------------------
Related Posts:
Saturday Night Card Game
Why Isn't The Left Screaming At Gloria Allred?
Questions for Loretta Sanchez - in Vietnamese

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube