Dr. Phil Show (Part 1): Steve Cohen, “do you believe that these boys are guilty?” “YES.”

Today on the Dr. Phil Show some interesting comments come from Steve Cohen. Cohen, consultant to the Aruban government, who has gone on TV among the many from The Aruba Strategic Communications Task Force and professed the suspects innocence, now says they are guilty. After all this time that Aruba, the Aruban government and the Tourism industry has defended Aruba and the three suspects at the same time we are now told that they think the suspects are guilty.

Dr. Phil asks him, “From your opinion, based on what you know, do you believe that these boys are guilty of wrongdoing here?” Steve says that he does. “Do the prosecutors believe they are guilty of wrongdoing?” Steve says that they do. “Do you believe that [the boys] have available, intimate knowledge of what happened to her that night?” Again, Steve confirms that he does.

Steve explains, “Forensic materials continue to be collected. I think we’ve got our hands on some forensic material now that may actually open up the doors to the final results of this case.”

Then comes the amazing statement of the interview with Steve Cohen. Many have questioned from the outset the position that Steve Cohen held and the conflict of interest of the many relationships he had with private sector Aruban Tourism Association, Strategic Communication Task Force, consultant to the Aruban government and access to the ALE information. The comments continue:

Dr. Phil says, “You say that you are a consultant paid by the tourism industry that’s also working in conjunction with the government, and in the same breath you say that you are the ones that had to let these boys out of jail?”

“I was the guy who had to let them out,” says Steve. “I opened the jail door for all three of them. It was nobody else. It was me. And my feeling was that we had lost. And then we didn’t lose because we all sat together and said, ‘We can figure this out.’”

John Kelley speaking in response to Steve Cohen and in reality speaks for the many who have questioned and scratched their heads at the conduct of Aruban officials covering the Natalee Holloway disappearance. There is a reason why tourism has taken a dip in Aruba and its because many are just appalled at what has transpired.

John answers for her. “We’re not going to sit here and say, ‘Mr. Cohen’s a nice guy. He told us some nice things. Aruba’s a nice country.’ No! Their daughter’s missing. We don’t have answers. The answers are down there. They have the resources, they have the men, they have the answers, they’ve got the suspects, it’s all down there for them to solve this, and they’re not doing it. We need that done.

One wonders at this point whether Aruba has acted too late and the effects have been set in motion with regards to their tourism decline.