Chương 122: Questioning and Sophistry

By 8 a. m., the plaza in front of New York City Hall was completely filled with people.

Thousands of citizens, the unemployed, and dockworkers spontaneously gathered here.

The New York Police Department deployed a full 500 officers. They set up three thick police lines to barely keep the enraged citizens at bay.

When Arthur appeared at the edge of the square, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd.

Someone recognized the editor-in-chief, who has recently gained considerable fame.

Someone shouted, and then the crowd automatically parted to make way for Arthur, clearing a path to the city hall entrance.

At the top of the steps, Fiorello Laguardia, wrapped in a thick coat, waited for him in the cold wind.

LaGuardia stepped forward and firmly grasped Arthur's hand.

Just then, a piercing siren sounded in the distance.

A convoy of four black luxury cars, led by more than a dozen police motorcycles, slowly drove into the square.

The crowd immediately erupted in deafening boos and curses. Some even threw rotten vegetable leaves and snowballs at the car windows.

That's Jimmy Walker's team.

The car door opened, and a large number of police officers immediately formed a human wall.

Jimmy Walker got out of the car and waved and smiled as usual.

Surrounded by dozens of police officers, Walker lowered his head and hurried up the steps, entering the city hall.

At 9: 00 a. m. sharp, the city hall's main conference room was packed.

This place, originally the site of city council debates, has been temporarily converted into the hearing venue for the Westbury Inquiry Commission.

The gallery was packed with reporters from major newspapers, political figures, and observers from various factions. Tension was etched on everyone's face.

Behind the long table at the front of the hall sat New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt.

Sitting to his left is Samuel Sibri, the chairman of the investigation committee.

On the right are several special commissioners sent by the state legislature.

Jimmy Walker sat alone in the witness stand in the center of the hall.

Despite experiencing complete insomnia and panic last night, Walker appeared in public today still maintaining his impeccable politician demeanor.

He was wearing a custom-made dark blue double-breasted suit, a crisp white shirt collar, and a perfectly tied tie.

His hair was styled with hair oil and combed neatly. He even casually adjusted his cufflinks as he sat down.

He was a natural performer. He knew perfectly well that showing even the slightest fear in front of so many cameras and hostile gazes would be tantamount to confessing on the spot.

As long as he doesn't plead guilty, and as long as he can find loopholes in the law, he can drag out New York's bureaucratic procedures indefinitely.

Samuel picked up the mallet on the table and struck it three times heavily.

The crisp sound echoed in the hall, instantly silencing all the chatter.

"This hearing is now officially in session."

Samuel continued reading: "Jimmy Walker, based on the preliminary evidence submitted by the investigative committee, you are charged with serious misappropriation of municipal funds and with plotting an attempted murder against a New York City resident. Are you aware of these charges?"

Walker adjusted the angle of the microphone.

A relaxed smile, tinged with regret and grievance, appeared on his face.

Walker calmly spoke into the microphone: "Mr. Governor, Mr. Chairman, I am fully aware of these allegations. But I must state one thing to you and to all the citizens of New York."

"This is a complete political frame-up. It's an absurd farce staged to cater to the sensationalism of certain tabloids and to seize political capital."

A murmur immediately arose from the audience. Reporters' pens flew across their papers.

Samuel Sibri frowned.

Instead of arguing with Walker, he simply pulled a document from the case file.

Samuel held up the documents and said, "Mayor Walker, we don't need political speeches, we only look at evidence. Please look at the first piece of physical evidence. This is the bank statement from the City Hall's special funds account."

"Just two days ago, a sum of $2, 000 in cash was withdrawn from the account. According to Chase Bank's serial number comparison, these consecutively numbered, brand-new banknotes appeared on the possession of three armed robbers who attempted to murder Arthur Kennedy."

Samuel produced the envelope used as evidence, staring intently into Walker's eyes, and continued, "Even more coincidentally, this money, along with two train tickets to Chicago, was placed in this envelope clearly stamped with the 'Mayor's Office' seal. What's your explanation for this?"

All eyes were on Walker. This was an extremely damaging chain of evidence.

But Walker unexpectedly spread his hands, making an extremely helpless and heartbroken expression.

Walker sighed and began his sophistry: "Judge Sibyl, this charge is logically untenable. As the mayor of New York City, I handle hundreds of administrative documents every day."

"Envelopes bearing the mayor's office logo were piled up in the secretariat outside. Any employee entering or leaving the city hall, even a cleaner, could potentially receive one of these envelopes."

He paused, observing the committee members' reactions, before continuing, "As for that special fund, the city hall has legitimate relief and emergency expenditure programs every month. The authority to withdraw cash isn't solely mine. My advisor, Francis McGuire, also has the authority to sign off on emergency fund withdrawals."

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming very heavy, as if he had been deeply betrayed.

Walker said with great distress, "In fact, it was McGuire who went to the bank to withdraw the money. He's been with me for many years, but I never imagined he would embezzle funds behind my back and even collude with gangsters!"

A member of parliament in the gallery immediately nodded in agreement.

Walker unleashed his prepared killer statement: "As far as I know, McGuire has disappeared. This is irrefutable evidence that he fled to avoid punishment! You cannot pin all sorts of unfounded accusations on an elected mayor simply because of a subordinate's corruption and private crimes!"

This utterly shameless excuse prompted Laguardia to let out a cold laugh from the audience.

But the politicians present, who were well-versed in the law, knew that Walker's argument was very effective.

He directly pushed out the missing McGuire as the perfect scapegoat.

Since McGuire was not present, this became a completely unverifiable matter.

In a legal sense, if no one personally witnessed Walker putting the money and ticket into the envelope and handing it to the killer, the defense attorney could use this as an excuse to exonerate Walker.

A high-ranking official cannot be easily convicted if there is reasonable doubt in court.

This is the instinct of seasoned politicians to survive within the rules.

Samuel's expression turned somewhat grim.