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Alec Baldwin said Saturday that any suggestion he’s not complying with the investigation into last fall’s deadly shooting on a New Mexico film set is a lie.

At issue is a search warrant for Baldwin’s cellphone, which authorities hope can provide information helpful in the probe. Baldwin was holding a revolver during a rehearsal for his movie “Rust” on Oct. 21 when it fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding the film’s director.

Authorities still don’t have the actor’s phone.

Baldwin said in an Instagram message posted Saturday that New Mexico has to go through New York law enforcement and the process of specifying exactly what is needed takes time.

Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin speaks on the phone in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in Santa Fe, N.M., after he was questioned about a shooting on the set of the film “Rust” on the outskirts of Santa Fe, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza, officials said. (Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

“They can’t just go through your phone and take your photos, or your love letters to your wife, or what have you,” he said.

Baldwin has said he didn’t know the gun he was holding contained a live round when it went off. Investigators are trying to find where the live round came from and, in the search warrant for Baldwin’s phone, said they are looking for text messages, images, videos, calls or any other information related to the movie.

“Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that’s bull——, that’s a lie,” he said.

73 COMMENTS

    • Reminds me of

      “I did not have sex with that woman…Ms. Lewinsky”

      Does Mr. Baldwin’s defense hinge on the meaning of the word “is?”

  1. And yet he is making them go through the warrant process. It sounds to me that his cooperation is only going through his lawyers. While I can appreciate the caution needed in dealing with the law, his culpability is obvious and his words make him a hypocrite.

    • “Making” them get a warrant isn’t the point. Police securing a search warrant renders evidence obtained admissible in the event defense lawyers challenged the admissibility of that evidence alleging the evidence was obtained illegally. If there was crucial evidence on the phone and that evidence was used as a basis for charges on super douche Alec or in part from the evidence obtained, lacking a warrant, his lawyers would challenge the admissibility of that evidence and they’d win.
      How many times have you hear of cases being dismissed because the evidence was thrown out?
      All the damn time.
      This is why the police get a warrant.

      • OK, say Baldwin knows the cops want to search the phone for evidence, but insists he will only turn it over if they serve a warrant on it.

        (For the record, personally, I have *zero* problem with Baldwin taking that stance, but hear me out on this -)

        If Baldwin’s phone is determined to have had the contents of it’s memory altered or erased, what legal hot water could he be in?

        As I understand it, proof of destruction or tampering of evidence requested by a warrant is a serious felony offense, with a federal or state prison sentence likely.

        Could Baldwin end up doing hard time for that?

        • Could and would are two different things. Most likely anything they want is going to be preserved by the carrier. I think they would likely be looking for text messages and securing a warrant will also be served on Sprint or ATT or whoever it is. Probably Cricket!!

        • Arec Barwin the Worfress would do precisely as much ‘hard time’ for that as did Hilary Clinton and Huma Abedin.

          Refresh my memory. . . how long did they get?

        • I think the smart play for Mr. Baldwin would have been to turn his phone over to his lawyer immediately.

          That way it’s no longer in his possession, he can’t turn it over, his lawyer can potentially go over its contents for exculpatory evidence before they show up in discovery, and Mr. Baldwin can cooperate fully with any warrant.

          I don’t know what the legal status of the phone and its contents becomes at that point (does it count as privileged?) but his lawyer should know what to do with it (and what not to do).

          Raises a lot of interesting questions, actually.

      • Consent is a defense to the lack of a warrant. AIn other words, he can just turn over his phone and be done with it. But that really isn’t the point. His phone may contain any number of things videos, emails, photos,) that are not at all relevant to the investigation, e.g. sex tapes with his wife (if any such exist) that he would not want the policed seeing–and which they have no business seeing. He is wise, therefore, to make sure that the police get what they want that is relevant to the case and no more by employing the services of an attorney.

        • Whether he wants to turn the phone over or not, is his problem. Unless he can contest the warrant successfully, he must turn over the phone without altering it.

        • I don’t think that a warrant implies a positive obligation for Mr. Baldwin to turn it over.

          It implies that the police are given permission to find and seize it, and Baldwin is not allowed to resist those efforts.

          If they can’t find it, or if they seize it but can’t get the data, too bad.

          Possible other legal issues might result if it can be shown that evidence was tampered with.

      • I would offer they already have enough to indict him for involuntary manslaughter and this is only dragging things out because other may be culpable as well. He should already be facing a trial and he hasn’t even been charged which is a joke.

    • And stupid, since the warrant mentions his public statements he was under no obligiation to make directly contradicted his prior statements to cops.

  2. If Alex had handed over his phone at the very first request, then he could say he cooperated fully. Anything less is “not cooperating”.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that anyone give the cops free access to their property. But, words have meanings. Alex is not cooperating.

      • Like most democRats Baldwin has been dishing out sleazy BS for years and when some BS comes his way and he has hissy fit.

        • That’s the reason New Mexico has to go through New York. They can’t serve the warrant because he is out of their jurisdiction. They need New York permission and assistance to serve their warrant in New York. That’s why …

          “Baldwin said in an Instagram message posted Saturday that New Mexico has to go through New York law enforcement and the process of specifying exactly what is needed takes time.”

          He’s playing games though. He knew they were going to serve the warrant so he left and went back to New York. His lawyer knows New Mexico can’t serve their warrant outside their jurisdiction unless they get permission and assistance from New York and I’ll bet the lawyer will be playing legal games to get New York to disallow the warrant to be served.

        • .40 cal Bogger, if you ready my post that is what I said. The prosecutors CAN serve the search warrant by getting a NYS Supreme Court Justice to endorse the warrant.

        • @Walter E Beverly III

          and I didn’t say you did not say it, in a way.

          just saying
          fled to NY to avoid service…

          doesn’t explain why he ‘fled’ to NY, just that he fled to avoid service but how is that service being avoided in terms of his comments about NY interaction? I added that.

    • well not exactly. Even if he went to them and wanted to hand the phone to them they would have still gotten a warrant before they touched it. Too many cases where a phone or lap top was voluntarily turned over and the person later claimed the search was illegal due to no warrant when the cops found something incriminating – civilian law enforcement has learned their lesson in such investigations for electronic devices and that is always get a warrant first before they seize or accept a phone.

  3. What do they expect to find on his phone that has any relevance to his case?
    I’d give them the phone alright, microwaved sim card with a Pepsi bath.

      • Even if you’re innocent, hire good lawyers and give the Hillary treatment to the tens of thousands of messages involving “yoga and weddings.”

    • There cold be relevant emails or texts sent after the incident, as well as information as to whom he called (and/or who called him) in the aftermath of the incident. There could (theoretically) also be email receipts for the purchase of live ammunition.

      • Also discussions of safety on set during pre-production or production. Baldwin was also producer, let’s not forget, and may have communicated via text, etc. about a host of relevant topics over the months preceding the shooting.

    • They are looking for video of him (or others) having shot the gun in question with live ammo recreationally. Maybe secondary would be other prop guns being shot with live ammo recreationally. AB is almost certainly guilty of manslaughter by the simple facts of the case.

    • His carrier, whichever one it may be, will still have most of the information on his phone, so that won’t help him much.

  4. test messages are forever. if they want to see what was sent from his phone at the time of the incident, send a warrant to the carrier. he knows what he did.

  5. He’s lying. He is obviously not ‘cooperating’ with requests.

    That said, it is probably on the advice of lawyers and a good idea, defense-wise.

  6. Rut-roh…….what’s on Alec’s cell phone?……..

    Better not involve minors…….

    (Oh, w8…..he’s a democrat…..)

  7. YEAH , BEST NEVER POINT A WEAPON AT ANYONE AND PULL THE TRIGGER .
    CAN’T TAKE IT BACK ONCE DONE .
    ALL OF IT WAS A TRAGEDY .

  8. Time to extradite the “gentleman” as a material witness. Compel him to appear before a grand jury.

    • Mebbe kiddie porn is on Alec’s phone…his violent past is coming back to haunt him. Remember when Apple refused to unlock the San Bernardino murderous moose-lamb phones?!?

      • Given his lack of self control and his tendency to blow up, I’d bet his text messages to people he works with are sufficiently rude to convince a jury to hang him.

      • That was different. Apple refused to try to crack the password protection on that phone. The password program on that phone was of the variety that if you fail to enter the correct code after “x” tries, the memory is deleted. Therefore a direct attack was not advisable. Apple cracking the phone would suggest that our phones are not as private as we expect them to be and that Apple has a back door to see what we are up to. That would be very bad for Apple’s business. As I recall, the .gov hired a couple of Israelis who were (allegedly) successful in opening the phone, though how it was done, and assuming it was done, are closely held secrets.

        • Mark N. As this is a STATE case what the Feds can do is irrelevant unless the STATE can get a Federal Court Order.

    • And if you compel him to testify against his own penal interest, you also must grant him either conditional or transactional immunity, probably the latter, which means that he no can longer be criminally prosecuted. DARN that 5th Amendment!

      That would be a BAD move, of course–for the Prosecution. Ask Bill Cosby how that works.

      • The prosecutors do NOT have to grant him conditional immunity. They do not have to ask him about his involvement but they can question him about the role of others. They can ask him who gave him the gun, etc. As long as they don’t go into his culpability, they can still drag his sorry behind before a Grand Jury without any kind of immunity.
        I guess you don’t know as much as you think you do.

        • Or perhaps I know more than you. I stated: “If you compel him to testify against his own penal interest. . .” If he answers ANY question under compulsion that might tend to incriminate him (the 5th Amendment applies in Grand Jury testimony, of course) he would be a fool. Unless granted either form of immunity, he cannot be compelled to testify.
          They surely can ‘drag’ him before a Grand Jury; He doesn’t have to do any more than state his name, nor answer a single question beyond that, and cannot be compelled to do so.
          DARN that Bill of Rights.

        • John inAK, Apparently you don’t know what you are talking about. I addressed your issue by saying that the Grand Jury could ask him about the roles of OTHERS. Those questions do not have the protection of the 5th Amendment. And yes he can be compelled to answer the type of questions that I outlined as they are nothing to do with “self incrimination.”
          Paraphrasing William Shakespeare, “No, I do repent the tedious minutes I have spent” responding to a man who is clueless.

  9. I’m with angry white man Baldwin and his Spanish wife, Ee-laria. Want the man’s phone to conduct an investigation that started prior to Halloween? Get a warrant

  10. Holy shit, I understand the legal process, however I beleive the detectives are hyper vigilant to make sure they have a airtight case. This scumbag will fight the case at every turn. They need to arrest his ass to get the ball started. This guy is a total scumbag, hope he rots in hell. Mainly because he is a self indulgent asshole. Why is he not been arrested already?

    • You just said why.

      In a case of this notoriety, and with a ‘person of interest’ of wealth and status, it is in the best interest of the state to NOT arrest with any urgency. They haven’t even declared him an official ‘person of interest,’ making him a ‘suspect;’ It’s not a good idea to label him either at this point–every word in legal semantic games means something.

      During an investigation, the ‘person of interest’ has a lower expectation of rights than does a ‘defendant.’ They can be questioned, legally, without Miranda (which, by now, is moot as he done lawyered up muy pronto), for example, and any questioning is considered ‘non-custodial’ as a ‘person of interest’ is free to leave where he/she is being questioned at any time–right up until the moment he/she is actually charged, arrested, and taken into custody, no matter how short that custody may be. Once arrested, which changes a ‘person of interest’ into a ‘defendant,’ the whole situation changes–it’s called ‘attachment of jeopardy.’

      I’m glad that they are taking their time, crossing their eyes and dotting their tees; It’s not like he’s going anywhere, considering that he’s firmly convinced that he’s not guilty, totally innocent, completely blameless, a veritable victim, and Arec Barwin the Worfress to boot.

      That’s why.

    • In a case like this, you dot your eyes and cross your t’s. This is “high profile” making any mistakes far worse.

      • You have zero sense of humor, there, Beverly. I specifically spelled out ‘eyes’ and ‘tees’ as a clue for those paying attention. . .

        • Clearly you have never conducted a criminal investigation. For your edification, I’ve conducted thousands. (rolling my eyes). “And though I must be content with those that say you are reverend grave man, yet they lie deadly that tell you have good faces.”

  11. One would have to question the slowness of this investigation. While it is understandable that others may have been negligent as well as Baldwin, that in no way should impact him being indicted for involunatry manslaughter. He shot the gun, he killed one person and wounded another, violated every rule of gun safety, and lied about not pulling the trigger. Now if the firearm was not in any way defective which could be checked out rather quickly by a gunsmith then the excuse offered by Baldwin can be verified as a lie in less than five minutes. The only way that firearm can be fired is if the trigger is pulled either while fully cocked or fanned beyond the cocking point. If the hammer is not back in the fully cocked position the cylinder with the next bullet to be fired is not aligned with either the hammer firing pin nor the barrel of the gun and if released the sear will block the hammer from making contact with the next round. I have a similar firearm that works the same way as the Colt SAA and I could not replicate Baldwin’s excuse that he pulled the hammer back most of the way and the gun went off without pulling the trigger. It is just not possible.

  12. Amounts to the feds dont want to go to the hassles of getting warrants to get the INFOR off the phone.
    It’s out there though, in a cloud, with whatever anyone and everyone says types or encrypts it’s out there in a cloud.
    A big ole dark lightnen flashing, thunder booming, raining fire and brimstones and bring hell with it cloud.
    :
    It’s my concern, my concern is, and this is germaine, MADAM, MADAM , I Have the floor!
    As I is saying, was saying, it’s my concern that with so many Crypto’s, Crypto’s weigh kilobits, it’s my concern that Cloud will become, become so heavy, heavy with cryptos that it will capsize.

  13. By now, its probably reasonable to expect that Baldwin has had his phone ‘sanitized’ of any possible incriminating evidence if there was any on his phone.

    • hahahaha, he wishes I am betting he had icloud backups and if they didn’t warrant that right after this happened the investigators were fools.

  14. I despise the man but the fact of the matter is only the investigators on the case can say if Baldwin is cooperating as he should be.

  15. This case is an example of when you have the money, you can hold off the authorities. People are asking why Alec Baldwin has not been arrested? It’s because he’s a rich man. That’s why. Because Kyle Rittenhouse had no money he turned himself in, from another state. And was arrested immediately and given an enormous bail requirement of $2 million.

    The DA wanted to squeeze this poor boy and his mother. But they know they can’t do that with the rich Alec Baldwin. Who has the ability to have another residence out of state. And thereby adding an additional layer that the authorities in New Mexico must now navigate through.

    I don’t think the DA or the police in Mexico want to let Alec Baldwin off the hook. They just know he has the resources to defend against the District Attorney’s office. And as we all saw in Kenosha, the DA there tried to get away with everything he possibly could. Including violating the constitutional rights of the accused. That would not going to go over very well with the rich man, Alec Baldwin, and his well-paid lawyers.

    • I think the reason he hasn’t been arrested yet is because the police and the DA in New Mexico wanted to let Baldwin think he outsmarted them and give him time to talk… which is why they waited a couple of months to subpoena the phone. Baldwin is noted for no self control. You can practically guarantee there’s enough evidence on his phone by now to get a conviction.

      • In California o.j. Simpson got away with it. But that was not the case in the state of Nevada. He went to prison. And I think the state of New Mexico is not going to let Alec Baldwin get away with it either.

        It just takes a little more time to get a rich criminal.

  16. Baldwin simply doesn’t have to explain further. He’s part of the same legal group representing Hunter Biden; CORNPOP JOE & DIRTY KNEE HO.

  17. a comment on Alec Baldwin talking about this so much…

    who was the comedian who joked about some guy ‘having the right to remain silent…
    but not the ability’….?

    Mr. Baldwin needs to shut the fuck up about any and all things related to this matter

    and just to be clear – I think he is a lying bag of shit…..

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