Greta does not give Joe Tacopina a free pass ... she challenges his every word throught the interview.
Dana ... please do likewise. This guy is still claiming he believes that Joran and Paulus van der Sloot played no part in the obstruction of justice that permeates the Natalee Holloway case.
Thank you.
Janet
++++++++++
Fallout From Joran van der Sloot's 'On the Record' Interview
Wednesday, November 26, 2008VAN SUSTEREN: Joran van der Sloot's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, joins us live. Joe, am I right, you still do represent Joran?
JOE TACOPINA, ATTORNEY FOR JORAN VAN DER SLOOT: I represent him, Greta, for the purpose of the Aruba investigation, which for all intents and purposes is over.
Quite frankly, when you asked me to come on last week or a few weeks ago, I hadn't seen this tape. Had I seen this first, I probably would have declined your invitation, Greta, because I just - we could do this - and look, obviously you paid him some money to either give him a tape recording or have him give you tapes or to submit to an interview.
VAN SUSTEREN: Stop there. Let me explain something.
TACOPINA: Please.
VAN SUSTEREN: Just so you get it right. He contacted us. He said he had a tape.
TACOPINA: Yes.
VAN SUSTEREN: I said we couldn't buy it, but we could license it. That's what the media does. You license photos, you license recordings, you license tape.
He gave us the tape. We've had it sent to someone to have it checked out if there were problems with it. I went to Thailand to find out what the story was on the tape to fill in the blanks to corroborate it.
TACOPINA: OK. So whatever I have - I mean, an email from one of your producers, Steph Watts, you know, to Joran, talking about the Western Union transaction. Greta, look --
VAN SUSTEREN: That is how the money is transferred. There's no secret. There's no secret.
TACOPINA: You paid him for a tape that he made and wound up getting an hour interview with him. And so be it, Greta. Great TV, great ratings- -
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have a problem with that?
TACOPINA: Yes, I do have a problem with it, Greta, because if you offered Joran $10,000 tomorrow and ask him to tell you a fifth story, he would do it.
Clearly, he's a sick kid. Clearly, I have nothing to say in defense of his actions, Greta. OK?
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you deny...?
TACOPINA:
But I still tell you, and I stand by the notion that the investigation regarding the disappearance of Natalee Holloway has not led to Joran. That's the bottom line.No one expects anyone to believe anything this kid has to say anymore. Quite frankly, he's on the verge of sociopath and despicable, but--
VAN SUSTEREN: Explain something to me, Joe.
TACOPINA: Please.
VAN SUSTEREN: According to the timeline --I'm trying to figure this out, because I really want this investigated. That's why we're bringing this information in.
TACOPINA: Really?
VAN SUSTEREN: Now stop. There's has been resistance from Aruba. There has been resistance from you, which, of course, that's your job as the lawyer. I understand that and I have an appreciation for a defense lawyer.
TACOPINA: I know you do.
VAN SUSTEREN: But when he comes to us and says look, I have my father on tape saying about the human trafficking, this explains what happened. I'd like to find her alive is what he told us.
Of course, I didn't believe that it was true, that she could possibly be alive. But he said that he sold her.
So I said "What do you have?" And he came to us. We didn't go after him.
TACOPINA: Greta, that's fine. But look at the source. He's told so many different versions.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, but what about his father in - what - how do you justify what his father said on this tape? Is his father also telling us different versions?
TACOPINA: Oh, that tape--
VAN SUSTEREN: Skip Joran. What -- Is the tape made up?
TACOPINA: I spoke to Paulus last night as this was going on. I mean, talk about a guy-- you don't know Paulus. I do. Paulus is a simpleton.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is this tape made up? Is this tape just crazy?
TACOPINA:
He absolutely denies ever having that conversation, ever. So yes, I believe that tape's false.Think about it for a second--
(CROSSTALK)
VAN SUSTEREN: So we can do a comparison, so we can check it out? I'm willing to check it out.
TACOPINA: Listen, Greta, Greta, just hold on a second. Think about the logic of this. Joran calls you and tape-recorded an incriminating conversation with his father. Why? For what purpose? So he could sell it to you? I mean, why would he have an incriminating tape recording of himself and his father?
VAN SUSTEREN: All I'm trying to do, Joe, all I want to do, Joe, is try to find out - stop.
(CROSSTALK)
TACOPINA: If that's the case, why in July did you have this interview, and why hasn't it not been turned over - why didn't you just send it to the authorities? How about the FBI? Did they get a copy of this?
VAN SUSTEREN: Because if you want to know the practical matter, no sooner than we had it done, we needed to corroborate it to make sure it wasn't lies, because he named a lot of people. In fact, if you notice, we bleeped out some names as we're trying to investigate.
Then we went into what you may have noticed was a presidential election. So we've been busy doing that.
TACOPINA: Oh, but you don't have to do this investigation, Greta. Give the tape to the FBI. They're not involved in the presidential election.
VAN SUSTEREN: The FBI has no jurisdiction, for god's sakes. You know that.
TACOPINA: Oh, they can't investigate? You know they investigated this case!
VAN SUSTEREN: Joe, let me find out one thing--if this is a made-up tape, give me a voice sampling from Paulus van der Sloot so that I can do a voice comparison analysis. There is a forensic way to do that. Get that for me, and if this turns out to be a lie, I'll say this tape is a lie.
TACOPINA: FOX News does not - as much as I respect you and this network, FOX News is not the end-all, be-all for investigative services. There is a law enforcement agency involved. So you don't just say, give you the power of attorney. Or give you a voice sample.
VAN SUSTEREN: If you're saying this tape is a fraud, I'm willing to investigate it, and I'm willing to say if it is a fraud, I'll say on the air we did this analysis of Paulus Van Der Sloot's voice to the tape, and it's wrong. I'm willing to do that. But if you come on and tell me it's not true, at least give me the ability to prove or disprove it.
TACOPINA: Let me just say this, let me say this -- I'm not saying it's true or not. I'm telling you what Paulus said. I wasn't there. I wasn't a witness to any of this.
VAN SUSTEREN: Call Paulus up right now and we'll go into the green room and say, Paulus, give them a voice sample, if this is a fraud.
TACOPINA: Greta, why was this tape not sent to the authorities, then? Why hold it until like November if you did this in July if you really think - because you said on the interview last night, you said to Joran when you were trying to get him to speak, you said what if she's still alive, Joran? I still think there is a chance Natalee could still be alive. Time is of the essence. Why? Because of the elections?
VAN SUSTEREN: Joe, because you know what, unlike you and the others, I've been spending my weekends actually working on this case. Do not criticize me for not working it. It's 2008.
TACOPINA: Don't be defensive, please, Greta. I'm not criticizing you for working. But send the tape to an authority. Send the tape to an authority. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying you're not working on it.
VAN SUSTEREN: If they're willing to use their police powers, subpoena power to subpoena a voice exemplar from Joran van der Sloot, and our FBI doesn't have the authority, but the Aruban prosecutor does, he's got it. He can have it.
TACOPINA: So you have conditions on giving over possibly incriminating evidence?
VAN SUSTEREN: No.
TACOPINA: You have the tape, send them the tape right now.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do something, not sit on it. Not to just sit on it.
TACOPINA: I have no control over that, Greta. You know that. Ok? You know I have no control over it.
VAN SUSTEREN: You do have control over getting a voice sample from your client. Get it and you and I can both go to the forensic expert together. I'll go with you.
TACOPINA: Greta, I know for a fact, because you said it many times, "That doesn't make sense, Joran." That doesn't make sense. You don't believe a word he was saying on that interview last night, do you?
VAN SUSTEREN: You're dodging. You're dodging. Get me the voice sample.
(CROSSTALK)
TACOPINA: Listen, it's not my voice, OK!
VAN SUSTEREN: Get me the voice sample and you ... Joe, I got to go.
TACOPINA: Greta, send the tape to the investigators and I'll give you a voice sample. How about that?
VAN SUSTEREN: Right. They're real busy investigating. Joe, thank you.
TACOPINA: Bye.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,457715,00.html