Nifong issues ‘apology’ to Duke lacrosse players

Via AP:

DURHAM, N.C. –The local prosecutor who charged three Duke lacrosse players with raping a stripper apologized to the athletes Thursday, acknowledging that the North Carolina attorney general’s decision to drop the case was correct.

“To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused,” Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong said in a statement.

Nifong’s apology came the day after Attorney General Roy Cooper not only dropped all remaining charges against the players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, but declared them innocent and said they were the victims of Nifong’s “tragic rush to accuse.”

“I also understand that whenever someone has been wrongly accused, the harm caused by the accusations might not be immediately undone merely by dismissing them,” Nifong said. “It is my sincere desire that the actions of Attorney General Cooper will serve to remedy any remaining injury that has resulted from these cases.”

“Judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect“?? How about judgements that were wrong to begin with – like the deal he struck with the DNA chief to not release all of the results from the DNA tests? That’s not merely ‘incorrect’ – it’s wrong, and more importantly, illegal.

Nifong’s clearly trying to save face but at this point his apology is meaningless. He’ll get his just desserts in June when his trial starts.

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