Marilyn Mosby Maintains Innocence In MSNBC Interview; Says 'I'm Ready To Go To Trial Tomorrow'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- In an appearance on MSNBC, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby doubled down Tuesday evening on the claim that she is innocent on the federal charges that have been levied against her.
Federal prosecutors allege Mosby took out $40,000 and $50,000 from her city retirement account through a CARES Act provision that waived penalties on withdrawals for people who were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mosby is charged with two counts each of perjury and false statement on mortgage applications, relating to the purchases of two vacation homes in Florida,
In the interview with journalist Joy Reid on "The Reidout," Mosby and her attorney A. Scott Bolden again asserted Mosby thought she was eligible to withdraw money from her retirement account, and that she wasn't aware of tax liens filed in 2020 against her and husband for $45,000 in unpaid taxes.
Mosby and her attorney claim the charges are politically motivated, and were timed to coincide with an election year to derail her chances at re-election.
"This has been a long term investigation that has gone through every aspect of my life, from my charitable donations to my tax returns," Mosby said. "And this is what they come back with. Me accessing my own personal funds that I put away every single week... There's ulterior motives for something like this, for an attack like this."
In January, Bolden said U.S. attorney Leo Wise, a prosecutor, had a conflict of interest in the case, pointing to donations he made to Mosby's top challengers in the 2018 election cycle.
He suggested Mosby and Wise had disagreements about leaks from the investigation of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force, and that law enforcement agencies don't want Mosby to win her next election due to her progressive policies.
"This is more so about the fact that [Wise] wasn't able to do what he did in his donations, which was to support my opponents," Mosby told Reid. "And he's using this indictment four months before my election to have this cloud of aspersion over my head."
Reid pointed out a the second prosecutor on the case, U.S. attorney Stephen Schenning, isn't from the same "world" as Wise.
"There's a second prosecutor on who's a Democratic appointee who's not sort of in the Leo Wise sort of world. And what they're essentially saying is that, you know, these were kind of ill-gotten gains," Reid said. "Even though they were your money, that you're using your your 401k money, that you violated the rules for how you could access it and didn't tell about things like tax liens and things like that."
To Reid's remark, Bolden reiterated that Mosby thought she was eligible to withdraw from her retirement, and that she wasn't aware of the tax liens.
Mosby closed out the interview by again pushing for a fast trial that will not overlap with her next primary election.
"I know I've done nothing wrong, so I'm ready to go to trial tomorrow," Mosby said. "Put this on trial right now so I can prove my innocence. But let's get to the election because I know that's what this is all about."
