Michael Moore just got served with a subpoena regarding the trip he took to Cuba while filming Sicko. He got served backstage just before appearing on Jay Leno – on the show, he mentioned the subpoena.
The story doesn’t say what agency requested or issued it – presumably the Treasury Department, which has already hassled some of the Ground Zero responders who went with him (see this thread).
What will happen now?
Why are they pursuing this? (Not because this Admin/DoJ takes all possible violations of federal law seriously, to be sure – they’ve already made it very clear where they stand on that. ) They’re just going to make Moore a martyr and give him free publicity – and spotlight public attention, not only on the health care issue, but on the policy of restricting travel to Cuba.
I suspect (IANAL) the answer is: nothing. What I’d LIKE to see happen is that MM’s starts work on his new movie Bitch! A riveting but hard hitting new docu-propaganda piece about living in a maximum security prison…
No doubt Moore will consult with counsel before responding, but he’s obviously got nothing to hide – he filmed the whole incident and released the film globally.
Well, t’be fair, he didn’t, and couldn’t, have filmed AND released EVERYTHING. So it’s not like you can say that we know exactly what he said and did on the trip JUST from the film.
Not that I’m saying he has something to hide, mind you. Just that you can’t tell whether he does or not from Sicko.
Meh, worse case scenario he’ll get slapped with a fine. Meanwhile, the controversy will keep people talking about the movie, which of course was the point of his trip to Cuba in the first place, so I doubt MM is too upset.
Because Moore is a public figure who openly flouted the travel restrictions and trade embargo against Cuba. Thus, to show it’s tough on Cuba, the Bush Administration has to crackdown on scofflaws like him so that it can keep a large contingent of voters in South Florida happy and ensure that they’ll vote for Republican candidates in the next election.
Health care is and will continue to be a major issue through 2008 but, outside of Florida, nobody really cares enough about America’s travel and trade policies toward Cuba to make a big deal about changing them. The only thing a party could achieve by advocating an easing some of the restrictions against Cuba is loss of Florida for 20 years.
Believe it or not, a lot of Floridians, including a lot of Cuban-Floridians, earnestly want the embargo lifted. (Of course, they’re not as well organized as the Castro-is-Satan crowd.)
Even many who hate Castro would like to see the embargo lifted…many of them have family members who are still back there, and lifting the embargo would make it easier for people here to send aid such as extra cash and medicine.
Yep. He, himself, couldn’t wait to get this news out in the public, per the OP’s linked article. He must’ve been giddy with joy upon being served the subpoena. Ching-Ching!!
Do we have any real evidence he actually has been slapped with one besides his own word? I am disinclined to take him entirely at his word, even though I know some of the things he says have value.
) They’re just going to make Moore a martyr and give him free publicity – and spotlight public attention, not only on the health care issue, but on the policy of restricting travel to Cuba.