MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
For more than a month, I have commented almost exclusively on the coronavirus pandemic. But today, I am happily taking a break to make note of the official vindication of former Memphis school board member Tomeka Hart, as if she really needed vindication to begin with. You may recall that Hart, who divides her time between Memphis and the Washington D.C. area disclosed that she was the jury foreperson in the highly publicized federal trial of Roger Stone, a confidante of President Donald Trump.
That jury convicted Stone of seven felony charges, including lying to Congress and witness tampering. In February his attorneys asked for a new trial, accusing Hart of misconduct by lying on a jury questionnaire. Trump even attacked her on Twitter, but Thursday, the presiding judge denied Stone's request, ruling that Hart was not biased and that Stone's lawyers did a sloppy job during jury selection. Hart, by the way, has since gotten married and is now Tomeka Hart Wigginton. Congratulations to the newlyweds.
The facts are, she never hid her political background as an elected school board member and former democratic candidate for Congress. Stone's lawyers could have excused her, but didn't, and she did her duty. Unfortunately, she was subjected to unfair attacks by Trump and his right wing supporters, but she has emerged with her integrity intact. That's more than I can say for her accusers. And that's my point of view. I'm Otis Sanford for Local 24 News.