McNeil: Friend or Foe

After over two days on being interviewed by the prosecutor, Defense attorney Micheal Scholl finally has the opportunity to cross-examine the undercover agent.

Many of us in the courtroom have been wondering what Scholl is going to ask and what aspects from the over 80 audio and video tapes he's going to focus on. Would it be the bribe money? Would it be the legislation document? Would it be the type of recordings and invasion of privacy?

Turns out Scholl starts by attacking the relationship between Ford and McNeil. And he begins with the two Miami trips.

He wants to know why on those particular trips, there are only a few recordings. He wants to know why not every conversation was recorded. He wants to know what happened when the tapes were off. How come he doesn't record the social events he does with Ford?

McNeil says they only recorded conversations that would be pertinent to the investigation.

He then wants to know if the things he tells Ford are true. For example, McNeil often talks about his son and his dog. Does he really have these things? The answer is "no".

"The role is fitting for the investigation," says McNeil when asked why he told Ford these stories.

Scholl wants to know if that means he was lying. McNeil admits that "it's not totally the truth."

"If you're not telling the truth, you're lying. Is that correct?" asks Scholl.

What Scholl is getting at was that Ford thought McNeil was a friend, not just a business associate. The two men partied together, they double-dated, they went to dinner together, they went to the beach -- Ford even invited the man to his home and introduced him to his family. They spent a lot of time together.

McNeil says he was never really a friend; was playing a role.