If you’ve watched Sean Hannity defend the Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing unarmed Michael Brown, you’ve almost certainly seen Hannity quote “Witness 40,” who claimed that Brown charged Wilson’s police car “like a football player, head down” as evidence that Wilson was justified in his actions. But today, The Smoking Gun revealed that Witness 40 has a long record of dishonesty, a few felonies and lots of racism.
After analyzing the materials released from the grand jury, The Smoking Gun was able to identify Witness 40 as a woman named Sandra McElroy. TSG also concluded that McElroy was nowhere near the Brown shooting she claimed to have witnessed.
You really need to read The Smoking Gun’s complete exposé to get a feel for just how untrustworthy this witness is. TSG notes that she was an open supporter of Officer Wilson and her testimony “neatly tracked with Wilson’s version of the fatal confrontation.” But here are some of the choice tidbits:
McElroy admitted that she had not driven to Ferguson in search of an African-American pal she had last seen in 1988 (as she had previously told investigators). Instead, McElroy offered a substitute explanation that was, remarkably, an even bigger lie.
McElroy, again under oath, explained to grand jurors that she was something of an amateur urban anthropologist. Every couple of weeks, McElroy testified, she likes to “go into all the African-American neighborhoods.” During these weekend sojourns—apparently conducted when her ex has the kids—McElroy said she will “go in and have coffee and I will strike up a conversation with an African-American and I will try to talk to them because I’m trying to understand more.”
… The opening entry in McElroy’s journal on the day Brown died declared, “Well Im gonna take my random drive to Florisant. Need to understand the Black race better so I stop calling Blacks Niggers and Start calling them People.”
… During her grand jury testimony, “Witness 40” revealed that she pleaded guilty to a pair of felony “check fraud” charges in 2007. She recalled being sentenced to three years probation as part of an “SIS” (suspended imposition of sentence). “Witness 40” explained that she accidentally passed the bad checks after “I grabbed a black checkbook instead of a brown checkbook or a blue checkbook.” She copped to the charges, “Witness 40” added, because her father “taught me before he passed away regardless, you always tell the truth and you always admit to whatever, if it’s the truth.”
McElroy’s devotion to the truth—lacking during her appearances before the Ferguson grand jury—was also absent in early-2007 when she fabricated a bizarre story in the wake of the rescue of Shawn Horbeck (sic), a St. Louis boy who had been held captive for more than four years by Michael Devlin, a resident of Kirkwood, a city just outside St. Louis.
By the way, Shawn Hornbeck was also a rather significant story on Fox News.
Raw Story noted that during an interview with the Brown family attorney, Hannity cited McElroy’s testimony as a justification for Wilson’s behavior.
In his shockingly rude and badgering interview with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Hannity repeatedly accused her of ignoring the evidence and truth about Ferguson. Even then it was Hannity ignoring the facts. Norton tried – over and over – to explain to him that she was only interested in the larger issues raised by Ferguson.
But TSG’s revelations make Hannity’s attacks all the more ironic:
HANNITY: Another witness said Michael Brown charged Officer Wilson like a football player with his head down, which would render the narrative, "hands up, don’t shoot" a lie.
…The truth isn’t your concern? Evidence isn’t your concern?
...Maybe you should read about the case’s evidence before you comment on it.
So look who needs to read about the case’s evidence now. We call on Hannity to do exactly what he demanded of Norton. But don't hold your breath.
In case you missed it, you can see Hannity citing McElroy’s testimony while attacking Rep. Norton, below.
He continues to be the lowest of the low along with his idol Dick Cheney.
Tell your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, and strangers you meet in public. Call talk radio and remind the masses of his defense of racist individuals like Cliven Bundy.
Use this example.
“Earlier this year, Hannocchio was the white in shining armor to Cliven Bundy, a man who made racist remarks about African Americans. This time, Hannocchio snuggles up to another racist with a criminal history.
This witness to the Michael Brown shooting has called African Americans racial slurs, and compared them to monkeys. Hannocchio has a nasty history of associating with racist individuals like neo Nazi Hal Turner."
Hannocchio attracts racist individuals like flies to honey.
We feel sorry for his children having a useless man for a part-time father. MJ needs to take the high road to protect her children from this Omen.
I hadn’t heard about the check fraud (and please, we’ve all occasionally bounced a check inadvertently, and you don’t get arrested and charged for doing that just once or twice), but the rest of the story of Witness 40 and her N-word diary has been up on Daily Kos for weeks now.