Baltimore Cop Who Filmed Himself Allegedly Planting Evidence Is Suspended

Welcome to WHAT NOW, a morning round-up of the news/fresh horrors that await you today.

A Baltimore police officer was suspended from duty on Wednesday after a local news affiliate published footage captured by his own body camera that appeared to show him plant drugs as evidence during a January arrest.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said in a news conference that two other officers were also placed on non-public-contact administrative duty.

The video shows the officer, who has not been publicly named, hide a can in a trash-filled empty lot as two other officers look on. The officers are shown retreating and the first cop turns on his body camera. Then the police walk right back to the site of the can, which appears to hold a baggie containing white capsules.

Because body cameras capture 30 seconds of video before they’re activated, the officer inadvertently filmed the first part of the video—appearing to show him planting evidence which was later used to charge a suspect—when he didn’t intend to.

Davis said the investigation is ongoing, and rolled clips of the video during the news conference.

“Perception is reality,” Davis said. “If the community thinks police officers are planting evidence, I’ve got to do a bunch of things when allegations surface.”

WHAT ELSE?

• In a stunning interview with The New York Times—one of his favorite “fake news” outlets—Trump said he regretted choosing Jeff Sessions as his attorney general, saying the former longtime senator “should have never recused himself” from the Russia probe. “If he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else,” the president also said.
• Sen. John McCain revealed Wednesday night that he’s been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer—the same kind that killed Beau Biden and Ted Kennedy.
• Even Trump’s closest aides are fed up with his ranting about Russia and Vladimir Putin.

WHAT’S NEXT?

• O.J. Simpson is set to appear before the parole board today at 1 p.m. ET in Nevada, where he’s serving out a nine-to-33-year sentence for armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping.
• On Monday, Jared Kushner is slated to testify in a closed session of the Senate Intelligence Committee to answer questions about connections between his father-in-law’s campaign and Russia. Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort will testify publicly on Wednesday, so expect a media circus.