At Large With Geraldo Transcript
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Mark Geragos speaks to Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera: Do you want to make an opening statement at all?
Mark Geragos: Well, I just wanna say a couple of things that I think have to be said.
So many of the rumours and things that have been reported are just plain false. As
you know Geraldo, there's been rumours about whether I'm on the case, there's been
rumours about Michael being in detox, I mean I'm here to tell ya, I mean there's
nothing wrong with somebody who seeks detox, but Michael's not in detox, Michael
went to Colorado and he went there specifically so the kids can see some snow and he
spent a little bit of time there and he went onto somewhere else, which is his right,
and he's taken care of his business.
He's got, he's taken charge of virtually all areas of his life. I mean it's been an
incredible thing to watch, I've been with for about a year and I've watched him over
that year just basically divest himself of people who he thinks have been negative and
he's taken charge and virtually all of his areas, he's handling and in touch with the legal
team at all times and the addition of Ben Brafman has been one of the great things, I
mean not just for him, but for me as well, Ben has provided a tremendous asset to the
team and is just an outstanding lawyer. Raymone Bain, who he has brought on board is
his only spokesperson, I'd like to say tonight that if you see anybody else out there
claiming to be his spokesperson or speaking on Michael's behalf you can discount it immediately because there's only one person that's going to speak on his behalf for all
things that aren't legal related and that's Raymone.
Rivera: Okay, you're absolutely right, she's a very competent and professional public
relations person, Raymone Bain her name. But let me ask you some very specific questions
before we run out of time, okay, is he or is he not addicted to painkillers and or alcohol?
Geragos: No, Michael is, I don't know how to put this in any stronger terms than I did
before in which you called the "opening statement", Michael has complete control of everything that's going on around him, he knows exactly what he's doing, he's extremely shrewd, he-
Rivera: Okay, stick to the answer-
Geragos: -not for a minute are any of these things true.
Rivera: Okay. Is he or is he not, or did he or did he not seek detoxification or some treatment
from a central American herbalist in Colorado?
Geragos: (Laughing) No. He did not, I can say that right now, there are no herbalists
running around, Michael meets with a lot of people, Michael has quite a few-
Rivera: So you don't deny that he might have met with a herbalist?
Geragos: -an extensive list of friends.
Rivera: A central American herbalist?
Geragos: No, Michael is not, in fact I don't believe as we're speaking that he's even in the
state of Colorado, so I mean all of that was just somebody's fabrication, another wild story
that's out there that's just categorically untrue.
Rivera: Okay. Was he or was he not arrested in a Wal-Mart because he was wearing a ski
mask? And the store staff got very nervous-
Geragos: No, and that's another thing, you have to wonder Geraldo, these conflicting
rumourstend to not make a whole lot of sense, the first story was he was enrolled in
detox, and then the next story was that he was in a mask in Wal-Mart, and I'm wondering
what detox facility is allowing people as a patient to run out to Wal-Mart in the middle
of detox, none of this stuff is true-
Rivera: Was he questioned, was there any incident at all that led to this-
Geragos: No, this is just more of the same, it's just if you can come up the crazier the better
and they put it out there and people report it and all you can do is knock it down.
Rivera: I saw something like confirmation that there was some kind of family matter
between Michael and Debbie Rowe in family court, true or untrue?
Geragos: There was a order that was filed with the court that allows for the matter to be
handled in mediation and that's all there's going to be commented on and Debbie, I think
Michael has the utmost respect for her and no ill will towards her and I think vice-versa.
Rivera: So there is a matter being mediated by a family court Judge but you're-
Geragos: Well yeah, but specifically I won't get into any specifics, but there was a court
order filed.
Rivera: You say now that Michael is in charge of every aspect of his life, does that mean
that the Nation of Islam has been de-emphasised in terms of it's visible presence and it's
internal presence in Jackson's life?
Geragos: Well you know, Raymone the other day I think had a very good statement so
I'll borrow it from her, she says that he knows and has a lot people around him, I'm Armenian,
Ben is Jewish, I think Raymone is Episcopalian and Leonard Muhammad is a member of the Nation. He relies on people that are around him, that does not mean that he embraces. He hasn't
converted to being Armenian, he hasn't converted to being Jewish, he hasn't converted to the Nation, he hasn't become Episcopalian. He is somebody who surrounds himself with many
different people, he's kind of a ambassador for the third world, he's got the face of the UN if you will, so he is not in any way shape or form converted, he's not a spokesperson for any group, he's Michael Jackson, he's somebody who reaches out to virtually anybody, of every creed or race or anything else.
Rivera: Okay. Just briefly, I spoke to Michael just before I went to Iraq, he said that, you know,
he referred to people speaking without authorisation but also he eluded to me to his case without violating the gag order. He seemed to feel, you know, that people were out to get him, that he
was the centre of a huge conspiracy, how are his spirits today?
Geragos: His spirits are very good. We've spoken recently he, I think is focused as he
always is. First and foremost, well obviously he's concerned about the case, but first and
foremost Michael is a concerned parent, and that's one of the reasons he was in Colorado,
because he wanted to show the kids some snow and do that and do something special and
he's now taking care of some of the financial matters in another area and I'll think you'll here
about that this week and he's basically taken charge of these things, he's strong as I've seen
him in the last year, as absolutely in charge of and hands on as I've seen him and it's
refreshing, you know it's a horrible thing to go through and I think he's handling it, I think, extremely well.
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