Alex Murdaugh’s Lawyer Scolded for Tweeting WaPo Op-Ed About Murder Trial
Judge Clifton Newman compared his online actions to that of NBA star Kyrie Irving.
Reuters
The South Carolina judge presiding over Alex Murdaugh’s double-murder trial scolded his defense attorney on Tuesday for tweeting a Washington Post op-ed describing the criminal investigation as “sloppy.” Judge Clifton Newman on Tuesday brought up the tweet, noting that he had received emails “concerning a social media post by Mr. [Jim] Griffin commenting on witness testimony and the quality of the investigation by the state.” Griffin confirmed that he had tweeted the op-ed link on Saturday with the title, “Alex Murdaugh trial reveals a sloppy investigation,” but insisted he was simply sharing the article without any additional statement. “Mr. Griffin is this part of your defense strategy?” Newman asked Griffin, before comparing his social media activity to that of NBA star Kyrie Irving, who was suspended last year for retweeting an antisemitic post. “We had a professional basketball player who retweeted an article that resulted in him being suspended from the NBA for about 10 days and cost him about $10m in salary, so retweeting is the same as—to some—as if [it’s] your tweet,” he said. Griffin stressed he would not tweet until the trial has concluded.
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