The Mirror

Jonathan Alter Says He Won’t Testify At Ed Schultz’ Trial

Evan Gahr Contributor
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MSNBC analyst and Daily Beast columnist Jonathan Alter now denies that he is slated to testify at the upcoming trial of Ed Schultz.

Alter’s name was on the witness list for the trial filed Monday afternoon by lawyers for Schultz and Michael Queen, the NBC producer and sound engineer suing the Fox News wannabe for breach of partnership.

Alter did not return a call to his listed home number Monday night asking for comment. And this reporter was explicitly assured by a reliable source that he is the “Jonathan Alter” listed.

But after publication of my item Tuesday about the witness list and Schultz’s desperation to keep readers of The Daily Caller off the jury, I emailed Alter more questions: Did he know about the domestic violence protective order against Schultz and why should jurors trust somebody on the MSNBC payroll?

Alter replied, “Not scheduled to testify and don’t know where you got that idea. I know nothing about the case btw.”

Alter was then provided the pre-trial statement with his name.

He did not respond.

Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell clearly know all about trial.

Alter is a frequent guest on Schultz’s show and podcast.

Alter’s professed ignorance about the case is rather peculiar given that the lawsuit was heavily covered when filed in 2011 and re-instated by a federal appeals court in 2014.

But considering how the judge assigned to the lawsuit has mocked Schultz’s lawyers for their boneheaded moves–like asking her to seal the Ed Schultz deposition they filed back in 2012–it is not inconceivable they listed Alter without his permission.

Attorneys for both Schultz and veteran NBC Washington employee Michael Queen did not respond to requests for comment.