03/25/2008 (www.cnn.com) Nancy Grace Show

“Guests: Joel Brodsky and Peterson’s Publicist, Glenn Selig”

http://www.acandyrose.com/2008-03-25-NancyGrace-BrodskySelig.htm

PLEASE NOTE: This original official transcript has been (SNIPPED) to include ONLY information discussion on the Stacy Peterson and/or Kathleen Savio case.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/25/ng.01.html

NANCY GRACE

Police Search Staten Island Pond for Missing Head

Aired March 25, 2008 - 20:00:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight: A suitcase fished out of a local pond leads to a stunning discovery, an oversized waterlogged suitcase stuffed with a human body, a body suspected to be that of gorgeous young mom 27- year-old Amy Giordano, that suitcase linked to this 11-month-old baby boy found abandoned in a parking lot, a note tucked into his little diaper.

Headlines tonight: Warrants go down for murder. And it becomes painfully obvious the remains are missing one thing, a head. Tonight, authorities waiting for positive DNA identification. What is the cause of death? How was the body spirited out of an apartment building? And why, why did Amy Giordano`s married lover fly straight to Italy and check himself into a mental hospital? And the little toddler boy? That torso apparently all that`s left of his mother. Tonight, with no family claiming him, he`s in foster care, going up for public adoption.

(SNIP)

GRACE: And tonight, a mystery surrounding missing 23-year-old mom Stacy Peterson, vanishing from upscale Chicago suburbs, husband/cop Drew Peterson the prime suspect in his fourth wife`s disappearance, the suspicious bathtub drowning of wife number three officially ruled homicide. Tonight: Drew Peterson takes advice from a brand-new publicist, inviting cameras to roll on shots of his children and inside his home, a home plastered with family photos of missing Stacy. Is the former cop making a desperate appeal to potential jurors? Tonight: Peterson`s PR blitz. But why?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW PETERSON, SUSPECT IN 4TH WIFE`S DISAPPEARANCE: The media pretty much has me painted as a sinister character, lurking around underneath the rocks and stuff. But basically, I`m just a dad raising kids. In a normal case just like this, everybody would be saying, Don`t talk to anybody. Just keep your mouth shut. Be quiet. But I`m now dealing with the court of public opinion, and which is filled with my jury pool. So not only do I have to fight all the negative publicity, you know, I want people to see, you know, there`s another side to all this.

All these people are conducting searches in fields and bushes and streams and rivers, but I have no belief that she`s there. She`s off with somebody at some beach or living life in some home anonymously, you know, in another part of -- could be another part of the world, could be the next town over. I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You believe Stacy ran off.

PETERSON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You say she was a good mother.

PETERSON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How could she run off if she were a good mother?

PETERSON: That`s a thing I can`t answer. I talked to psychologists about it, and they said it happens. It happens. So she maintained a good home and she was very good to the kids. So why -- why she did it, I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you angry at Stacy for running off and leaving her family?

PETERSON: I`m very angry. Very angry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you`re angry at Stacy.

PETERSON: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(SNIP)

GRACE: Good to know. Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Tonight:

GRACE: When we come back, former cop turned suspected killer of wife Stacy Peterson, Drew Peterson`s PR blitz. Shouldn`t he be out trying to find his wife?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

GRACE: In a stunning PR move, Drew Peterson`s invites the cameras into his home for live shots of his children, including photos of a home plastered with shots of family, including missing wife Stacy Peterson.

I want to go straight out to his attorney, Joel Brodsky, Drew Peterson`s attorney, joining us from Chicago, a veteran trial lawyer in that jurisdiction.

Joel.

JOEL BRODSKY, ATTORNEY FOR DREW PETERSON: Yes.

GRACE: Why did your client hire a PR guru and why did he invite cameras to roll inside his home?

BRODSKY: We got Glenn Selig involved in this because we needed help in dealing with the media. As to why he let the cameras into his house is to show -- not another side of him, but what the real Drew Peterson is like, how he lives his life, that he`s not as he is often portrayed in the media, a monster, that he is -- this is the normal guy, this is how he lives his life day-to-day, these are his children and this is how he spends his time. And so let people see that side of him.

GRACE: Interesting. I want to go out to Glenn Selig joining us from Tampa, Florida. This is Drew Peterson`s publicist.

Mr. Selig, thank you for being with us.

GLENN SELIG, DREW PETERSON`S PUBLICIST: It`s good to be here. Thanks for having me.

GRACE: Mr. Selig, is Mr. Peterson paying you?

SELIG: Why, why wouldn`t he be? Certainly, yes.

GRACE: OK. How much?

SELIG: I don`t think that that`s anything that we need to talk about.

GRACE: Really?

SELIG: Right.

GRACE: I`m just wondering why he hasn`t put that money toward trying to find his wife. In fact, there are fundraisers going on as we speak to try to raise money to find Stacy Peterson. But instead of giving money to that, wouldn`t it be a great PR stunt for him to take a check and write it out to a fundraiser to try to find his wife instead of hiring a PR guru like yourself?

SELIG: Well, you know what, Nancy, you talk as this being a PR stunt. This man is fighting, might be fighting for his life, and he`s certainly fighting for his reputation. Day in and day out, people like you have portrayed him to be some type of monster.

GRACE: No, sir. I have never called him a monster.

SELIG: You should have no problem in showing people the other side of him.

GRACE: I very simply report the facts as we know them. Do you know anything contradictory to what I have reported, Mr. Selig?

SELIG: What I do know is that this is a chance for people to see that he is a father, that he is a loving person.

GRACE: No, sir. If you could answer my question.

SELIG: .and you should have no problem wanting to show that.

GRACE: You just stated that I portrayed him to be a monster and I would ask you right now to name one thing that I have reported that is not true.

SELIG: You know what? In this country we have something called to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In the absence of telling the full story is telling a falsehood, and you know that from the courtroom. So you need to be able to tell everything.

GRACE: No, sir. I would like you to tell me one thing that has been incorrect that I or anyone on our show has reported. Just one thing. One thing.

SELIG: I think I just answered the question which is that the absence of information.

GRACE: Right. So nothing. OK.

SELIG: The absence of information, I answered it.

GRACE: Good to know. And what information would that be?

SELIG: The information -- you seem to have a problem in us portraying him as a father, is what he is.

GRACE: No, I don`t care how you portray him.

SELIG: He`s as much that as anything else.

GRACE: I`m asking you what information I have had withheld. Everybody knows he`s got a family. Everybody knows he`s got a home. What else is.

SELIG: Well, I noticed that you -- I notice that you blurred the faces of the kids as to imply that there`s something wrong or there should be something shameful about him showing the children.

GRACE: No, sir. No. No. Minors are always blurred on this program in order that they not be exploited, which leads me to my next point. Why is it that you chose to put his children`s faces out there?

SELIG: Part of what he is, is he`s a father. And you know what? It`s no different than when you show the picture of you holding your children on the screen. Some people might look at that as you exploiting that as an opportunity to get people to like you and like you as a mother. You`re sort of in a no-win situation.

GRACE: That`s a very interesting fact, because now your client`s children have been identified and they can now be identified at malls, at public outings, and now even if their father`s not with them, people can comment to them about their missing probably murdered mom.

Good PR move, Mr. Selig. Let`s take a listen to some of this interview with Drew Peterson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW PETERSON, HUSBAND OF MISSING MOM STACY PETERSON: The media pretty much has me painted as a sinister character lurking around underneath the rocks and stuff. And basically I`m just a dad raising kids. In a normal case just like this, everybody would be saying don`t talk to anybody. Just keep your mouth shut. Be quiet. But I`m now dealing with the court of public opinion and -- which is filled with my jury pool. So not only do I have to fight all the negative publicity, you know, I want people to see, you know, there`s another side to all this.

All these people are conducting searches in fields and bushes and streams and rivers. But I have no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: To attorney -- trial attorney Joel Brodsky, a trial lawyer there in Chicago.

Mr. Brodsky, again, thank you for being with us.

BRODSKY: Yes. OK.

GRACE: As far as in generating positive PR, public relations, for your client, do you think, although I know your expertise is trying cases, do you think it would be a good PR move for him to attend at least one fundraiser?

BRODSKY: Well, Nancy, that`s a great point, because I think the last time I was on this show I said that if these people who are raising funds and conducting these searches will devote 10, 15 percent of their effort towards the idea that Stacy may be alive and that Stacy could be hiding somewhere, could be overseas and they`re searching for her there, Drew will be more than happy to contribute, Drew will be more than happy to participate.

GRACE: OK.

BRODSKY: But as long as 100 percent of their effort is towards bushes and streams and ponds then.

GRACE: Very quickly, I understand.

BRODSKY: Then it doesn`t do any good.

GRACE: To Ric Mims, former friend of Drew Peterson. Mr. Mims is joining us.

Mr. Mims, what can you tell me about a gun that Peterson withheld from police when they were seizing his guns?

RIC MIMS, FORMER FRIEND OF DREW PETERSON: Drew Peterson showed me a gun on October 30th, that night after -- I think it was October 30th. Let me check. And the police asked me to come in Wednesday morning to identify that gun here at the precinct side.

(SNIP)

Everybody, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END