Rita Cosby; Trouble brewing on Aruba, when it comes to a possible boycott. A Tale of Two Guests

The question and topic of whether there will be a boycott on the island of Aruba due to the Natalee Holloway investigation, or has some have felt the lack of an investigation is beginning to take center stage. The cable network shows have been out in force on the issue. Last night on The O’Reilly Factor Bill O’Reilly questioned whether Aruba had an obligation to present what they are doing and in a competent fashion or risk potential boycott. Also Rita Cosby on ‘Live & Direct’ had Catherine Crier of Court TV and Ruben Trapenberg, Aruban government spokes person.

When discussing the investigation and the decisions made by the Aruban courts, this discussion was not even close. Catherine Crier was salient points that need answers while Ruben Trapenberg seemed to either not have the answers are just made references to talk to others. One wondered at the end of the interview why Ruben was even there?

CRIER: Absolutely. And secondarily, I’ve got plenty of leads for them. Let’s just charge them with rape. We’ve got their own words to confirm that particular felony.

COSBY: Why do you think they have not charged them with rape?

CRIER: I’d like to know the answer to that question. I don’t know.

And I keep saying politics, politics. Please don’t let it be that.

However, when Ruben Trapenberg is asked to address this issue we get the following:

COSBY: Let me bring in Ruben Trapenberg. Ruben, you can maybe answer this for us. Why not charge them with rape? You have Deepak Kalpoe
announcing in his own words that they all had sex with her. You also have on the other hand, you have Joran and his statement that we heard from Beth Holloway, saying that she was going in and out of consciousness. Those two together sound like someone who did something against her will.

RUBEN TRAPENBERG, ARUBAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Could be, Rita. I am not the legal expert here, so I’m not going to go into details of the case. One good place to check is the FBI. They’ve been here with our local authorities since day one. And the reason that they put out that statement is that because people have been going around, unfortunately, saying that nothing is being done and calling for a boycott and because nothing is being done. And that’s why the statement was released.

Then when asked by Rita Cosby as what was being done in the investigation so that it just does not appear to be a gratuitous ploy to preempt a boycott, Ruben still has no answers.

COSBY: But what is being done? Give me some specifics because a lot of people think the statement, as Catherine was just saying, is sort of a gratuitous, Let’s just throw it out there to try to preempt a boycott. He was quick though to reference the F-16′s.

TRAPENBERG: Again, I’m—I’m we’re not the ones doing the investigation. There is an investigative team, and the right person probably to talk to would be the chief general Dompig. He is the one in charge on the case. Now, what has been done? Remember, way in the beginning, we had F-16s even flying in here on the island. We had teams from the FBI for many, many days on the island. We had teams from Texas, teams from all over the U.S., and local Aruba search teams checking out every rock on this island. And they didn’t check it once, more than once. So I mean, what else can be done? What else is being done right now can only be answered by the investigative team. I don’t have those details.

One of the most telling comments in quite some time was Catherine Crier’s one when she made the point that because the judges were not elected by the Aruban people was exactly the reason why the Judge’s were actually “accountable to the wrong people”.

TRAPENBERG: Absolutely. And Catherine is saying about politics. Politics has nothing do with the legal system here, and that’s—I don’t know how it is in the U.S., but here—you know, our judges are not elected. They don’t have anything to do with it. It’s a totally separate legal entity. They do what they have to do. And as much as the prime minister tried to get involved to feel that—let them feel that they’d have the total Aruban support—and I mean the Aruban people and the Aruban government — but still, the government is not the one doing the investigation.

And you know, when you hear talk about a cover-up, how are you going to cover up something when you have—when you’re working with the FBI? You know, it’s uncalled-for.

COSBY: Catherine, do you believe there’s politics? He said there’s not.

CRIER: Well, he says there’s not—they aren’t elected judges. You’re right, they’re not responsible to the people, they’re responsible to the politicians and the upper echelon and…

COSBY: So in other words, they’re accountable to the wrong people.

(Full transcript)