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Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates. (photo: ABC News)
Robert Bates Should Shut Up Now
17 April 15
In which we learn that Robert Bates is not helping himself in Oklahoma.
ast night, I chatted with Chris Hayes on the electric teevee machine about the sad saga of Robert Bates, the septuagenarian lawman who shot Eric Harris to death in Tulsa. If the consequences of Bates's actions weren't so awful, I'd almost feel sorry for the guy. As the smarter member of the firm put it the other night, this is the firearms equivalent of the elderly driver who "hits the accelerator instead of the brake" and T-bones a McDonald's. Even though I'm still wondering how in the hell nobody's been fired behind this nonsense yet, I'd like to be able to give this story a good leaving alone, except that it keeps getting better, which is to say, it keeps getting horribly worse. On Thursday, we learned that the local sheriff's department fudged Bates's qualification documents. Now, Bates has emerged from seclusion to make his own case and, well, wowser."First and foremost, let me apologize to the family of Eric Harris," Tulsa reserve deputy Robert Bates said of the 44-year-old black man he fatally wounded. "This is the second-worst thing that's ever happened to me or the first that ever happened to me in my life. I had cancer a number of years ago. I didn't think I was going to get there… I'd rate this as number one on my list of things in my life that I regret." Asked by Matt Lauer how he could make the fundamental mistake of grabbing his gun instead of the taser, Bates replied, "This has happened a number of times around the country. I have read about it in the past. I thought to myself after reading several cases, I don't understand how this can happen."
Please stop helping yourself. Listen to your lawyer.
Lauer took the opportunity to grill Bates on several stories that have come out about his relationship with the Tulsa police: Allegations that he was allowed to "play cop" because of his financial support of the sheriff's deputy; and claims that the sheriff's department falsified Bates' training records to give him unearned credit for firearm certification. Of the former, Bates said, "That is unbelievably unfair. I have donated equipment as I saw fit." He added that his main motivation has been to assist the department in fighting a local drug problem. And on the latter accusation, Bates asserted that he has it "in writing" that he completed the required firearms training. His lawyer jumped in to dismiss the credibility of the report, noting it originates with records from seven years ago and comes from a source he says was recently charged with first-degree murder and is being represented by a firm also representing the Harris family.
Wait, what?
"...comes from a source he says was recently charged with first-degree murder..."
That's what I thought you said.
This is going to get very, very weird.
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