In December 2003, weeks after the charges, CNN and others reported that members of the Nation of Islam were providing security for Jackson and that Leonard Muhammad, the Nation’s chief of staff and Louis Farrakhan’s son-in-law, was helping run his affairs. [1]
The reporting relied on unnamed sources, and Jackson’s representatives gave different accounts of Muhammad’s role. The New York Times described an internal fight over his influence and questions about his background. [2]
The strongest version of the claim is that a religious organization took control of a vulnerable, indicted man. The strongest version of the defense is that Jackson, distrustful of his old advisers, chose people who offered loyalty and protection. The record shows that the Nation was close to him in late 2003 and early 2004, and that its role diminished before the trial. It does not show that he joined it.
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