Former New York Police Chief Bernard Kerik Jailed

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has been sent to jail to await his corruption trial next week. I am not sure which is worse, the jailing or the view of Judge Stephen Robinson of the defendant, who he described as “a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance.” That is not a particularly promising start to a criminal trial.

Robinson revoked Kerik’s $500,000 bail after Kerik disclosed sealed case information to the trustee of his legal defense fund, which was then shared with the Washington Times. The court rejected Kerik’s claim that the trustee was also a lawyer who was part of his legal team — and thus entitled to the information.

Fearing that Kerik will try to “influence witnesses or prospective jurors,” Robinson ordered him locked up: “My fear is that he has a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance, and I fear that combination leads him to believe that his ends justify his means.”

Next week is only his first trial. A second trial on tax charges and a third trial on lying to the White House are being scheduled.

For the full story, click here.

Of course, Robinson’s description of Kerik was a bit better than the accidental description by Bill Ridder of Kerik as the “top cock” below:

In defense of Ritter, it was clearly an unintentional mistake. Indeed, “top cop” has proven the undoing of many a seasoned reporter: