3 ms·

I wouldn't focus to much of what is said in proximity to court proceedings. When you're facing jail time you don't really have the luxury of doing anything else

• danso 11y ago
  Keys has been arguing this line for a while though. He's been unusually vocal in his own defense in the months leading up to the trial (compare that to how relatively quiet Aaron Swartz [0] was) -- and I think it's a calculated tactic. Not necessarily a wrong one, but Keys' reputation as being savvy about online and social media is very well deserved. But I think that it is likely to severely backfire on him. A lot about the justice system is public relations -- check out the press releases feed at the Dept of Justice [1]...and he's doubling down in such a way that the prosecutors and judge can only lose face if they go lenient with him. The best defense for him is to be contrite and ask for leniency -- that's the whole point of his defense lawyers arguing that it was just a simple webpage defacement. Instead, he's arguing federal-level type coverup and incompetency, from the FBI investigation to the jury-by-trial itself. If the judge slaps him on the wrist, the judge is basically insinuating "Yeah, you're right...our court system is a joke!". From what I can tell, not many judges choose to go that route. [0] http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/14/aaron-swartz-asking-for-help-119-days-ago/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/14/aaron-swartz-asking-for-hel... [1] http://www.justice.gov/doj/news-feeds http://www.justice.gov/doj/news-feeds