Mother of Jackson Accuser Asserts Fifth Amendment

For the first -- and most likely the last -- time, this blog has an item related to the Michael Jackson trial.  The mother of the teenager who accused Jackson of molesting him asserted her Fifth Amendment privilege and refused to answer questions about an alleged welfare fraud.  Judge Melville permitted her to testify anyway, rejecting defense objections that the her acceptance of welfare payments that she was not entitled to receive goes to her credibility, on the ground that other evidence can be used to impeach her credibility.  That ruling seems to be a bit unusual because the alleged welfare fraud goes to her truthfulness, but then little about the trial and its surrounding circumstances comes across as normal. An AP story here discusses the ruling and the mother's testimony. (ph)