Bailing Out Michael McGee

The jailed Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee gets by with a little help from his friends.

Yesterday, $50,000 bail was posted for McGee.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee is expected to appear in federal court today on bribery charges after his bail was posted on state charges Thursday.

Also Thursday, Common Council President Willie Hines Jr. said he wouldn't consider starting impeachment proceedings against McGee until the criminal charges were resolved.

A $50,000 cashier's check was posted for McGee's bail, sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Brooks said. McGee remained in the Milwaukee County Jail on a federal hold overnight.

The Rev. George King signed the check, Brooks said.

McGee's attorney, Glenn Givens, said King and another man, whom he didn't identify, put up the money. They believe McGee was being subjected to injustice and an inflated bail, Givens said.

Givens said King and the other man have never met McGee. He said King, who is nearly 80, was not a minister.

"This money comes from unimpeachable sources, from very upstanding citizens, people who have led a clean life and who are very concerned about what is going on," Givens said.

Who is the Rev. George King?

According to Givens, he's not a minister.

So why does he use the "Rev." title?

What sort of "very upstanding citizen" calls himself "Rev." even though he hasn't earned it?

Very odd.

When you think about it, what isn't odd about the McGee saga?

...If bail isn't argued, McGee would be held until a hearing can be scheduled.

Once McGee appears, prosecutors have 30 days to present the case to the grand jury for indictment.

McGee is lucky to have the Rev. George King in his corner.

The guy shows up with a cashier's check for $50,000 -- all that money to get poor persecuted McGee out of jail.

Too bad for McGee that it wasn't enough to free him. Those federal charges can be a real pain. Boo hoo.

So King, supposedly an unimpeachable source, is "very concerned about what is going on."

I'm concerned about what's going on, too.

It bothers me that McGee, an elected community leader, faces federal charges of "soliciting and taking bribes from business owners in his district."

I'm concerned that a state court has charged McGee "with lying to investigators, violating election law, paying for votes, breaking a court secrecy order and threatening to beat a man."

It troubles me that "he faces 12 counts, including seven felonies, in state court."

Given the sort of man McGee is, given how solid and damning the evidence against McGee seems to be, given how stupid McGee is, I wonder about his allies.

Is it possible to be an upstanding citizen and support McGee?

I'd like McGee's lawyer Givens to define "upstanding citizen."

We must be operating under different definitions.

In my opinion, a free Michael McGee is a dangerous McGee.

Who knows?

King may be an "unimpeachable source."

That doesn't change the fact that McGee is very impeachable.