Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said he had "no idea" what he thought about the wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five when asked about the subject this week, CBS News reported.
"I've been away from it for so long, I just really can't respond because I just don't remember," said Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor.
A Bloomberg campaign spokesman told CBS the former mayor's "administration never disagreed with the decision to vacate the convictions" in 2002 after a convicted murder and serial rapist confessed to the 1989 rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park, a confession which was backed up by DNA evidence.
While he was mayor, Bloomberg exerted much energy and funds contesting a civil lawsuit filed by the Five that alleged racial discrimination and malicious prosecution, HuffPost reported.
Bloomberg also defended the police and justice system involved in the case, saying they had acted in good faith and there was seemingly strong evidence at the time against the Five.
Bloomberg told CBS this week, "the courts have ruled that [the Five] did not commit . . . a crime, and that's the final word, and we just have to accept that," adding "There's been questions since then about the quality of that evidence."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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