A full-blown pissing match has broken out between Florida State Attorney Norman Wolfinger (the prosecutor who initially decided that the Trayvon Martin shooting was self defense) and the Martin family’s media mad attorney Benjamin Crump (above). In an April 2 letter to the Justice Department, Crump alleges that the lead homicide investigator on the night Martin was killed had doubts about shooter George Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense . . .
According to Crump, State Attorney Wolfinger and Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee overruled the investigator and decided not to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter. The letter asks for a Justice Department investigation into the State Attorney’s decision not to charge and prosecute.
State Attorney Wolfinger’s not sitting still for any of it . . .
Like Chief Lee, Wolfinger has since removed himself from the case in the midst of the category four sturm und drang hurricane that’s hit Florida and the national media over the handling of the case. But that didn’t prevent him from responding, as reported by clickorlando.com, to Crump’s letter with an almost equal and opposite reaction.
Wolfinger said he was “outraged by the outright lies contained in the letter…” and he, “encourages the Justice Department to investigate and document that no such meeting or communication occurred.”
“I have been encouraging those spreading the irresponsible rhetoric to stop and allow State Attorney Angela Corey to complete her work,” Wolfinger said. “Another falsehood distributed to the media does nothing to forward that process.”
In the letter, Crump also says that Serino filed an affidavit stating that he did not find Zimmerman’s statements credible in light of the circumstances and facts surrounding the shooting.
Yet another Martin family attorney, Natalie Jackson, says her clients just want to be kept in the loop. As thegrio.com reports, Jackson says they
“have a right to ask questions, since nobody is giving them answers, and that’s what they’re doing.”Jackson said the family is “asking the same questions that the American people are asking.” She added, in a pointed rebuke of Wolfinger, who, an anonymous source told theGrio, personally met with the chief on the night of the shooting, February 26th, after which the decision to release Zimmerman was made: “the family is getting the same information the public is getting, through the media, and that’s not how it’s supposed to be. They should be getting it from the source.”
Jackson said Wolfinger’s office failed to keep the family informed when he had the case, and added, “the only source who can get answers for this family at this point, is the Justice Department.”
Sounds like what we have here is a failure to communicate. And few branches of the federal government have done better at open and honest communication recently than Eric Holder’s Justice Department. What could possibly go wrong?
Did Serino file an affidavit or is that another lie? I’ve seen it claimed a lot lately that he did not believe Zimmerman was telling the truth. Where is the proof of that?
I don’t see a pissing match here. Thug St. Trayvon’s lawyer is a lying sack of racist shit. The problem, that I see, is the police chief AND State Attorney caving in to the racist mob mentality.
Thug St. Trayvon? Aren’t you pre-judging the dead boy the same way the media is pre-judging Zimmerman? The boy died. He deserves at least the benefit of the doubt.
Even if he did beat the piss out of Zimmerman, it was understandable for him to be scared of a buzz cutted latino aggressively following him.
Hate all you want on the media, lawyers, etc… but leave the dead kid out of it.
“Even if he did beat the piss out of Zimmerman, it was understandable for him to be scared of a buzz cutted latino aggressively following him.”
Wow. Where to start. Speaking of prejudging – a “buzz cutted latino”, really? “Aggressively” following him, really?
Ok, so anyway… scared is one thing, “beating the piss out of” someone is quite another. The rational reaction to simple fear of “buzz cutted latino[s]” isn’t to start waling on them.
“Ok, so anyway… scared is one thing, “beating the piss out of” someone is quite another. The rational reaction to simple fear of “buzz cutted latino[s]” isn’t to start waling on them.”
That’s a fact, Dave.
FLAME DELETED so by your analysis it would be “understandable” for me to physically assault someone who was following me based on who they are?? White, black, hispanic, catholic, jewish, rich, poor… where does this train of thought stop???
I think there are a couple of things at play here with regard to any request to the DOJ.
1. The family feels that they are not receiving timely information from the state attorneys office.
* This is a judgement call on their part, and as there is to the best of my knowledge an on going investigation the attorneys for the family have a right to know due to proper disclosure.
2. The attorney for the family feels there might be some issues i.e. cover up or other conspiracy with regards to Robert Zimmerman being an ex-magistrate judge, possibly affecting the investigation.
* Of course this is speculation and we don’t know if there was any inappropriate communications between Robert and either Lee or Wolfinger. If they feel there is some wrong doing somewhere it should be investigated.
3. The police department did handle this as well as it should have. Things like unknown whether Zimmerman had his firearm released back to him etc. It has just been a botched job all around in my opinion.
On the note of whether Serino thought Zimmerman was lying, if it is in an official report it should be easy enough to at least release a portion of that to let folks know. I think a lot of issues are the fact that the attorneys office has not given regular updates with answers to questions. I do understand there is an investigation and as such you can not say much, but carefully worded updates, could at least let folks know what is going on.
I am sure lots of us have tons of questions. Stuff that can’t be answered until we get autopsy reports, crime scene analysis reports etc. I think once that is done then we will have a much clearer picture of what happened.
“Jackson said Wolfinger’s office failed to keep the family informed when he had the case, and added, “the only source who can get answers for this family at this point, is the Justice Department.”
That’s some pretty funny stuff right there. Maybe Jackson should ask the Terry and Zapata families how getting answers from the DOJ is working out for them. But then again, she IS one of Eric Holder’s “People” after all.
the family is “asking the same questions that the American people are asking.”
really !!! I’m not asking any questions…how about you??
I asked the waitress if I could have three olives in my martini.
I’m asking why am I taxed so much and get so little back in benefits?
I’m asking when this media circus will go away.
I’m asking where my country’s gone.
I’m asking whether the family of Martin thinks a grand jury is like a weather emergency, with lots of updates. Considering the secrecy imposed on a grand jury, that strikes me as an odd assumption. The family’s attorney, Crump is a specialist in advancing his case with the help of Al and Jesse. I can’t find any striking appellate cases he’s one. He knows his niche.
I’m asking questions. I ABSOLUTELY believe in gun rights and self-defense. But MERELY because Zimmerman had a gun doesn’t make his actions LEGAL or RIGHT. What if that was your kid??? Yours could be next.
That’s exactly why I’m reserving judgement on the shooting till the investigations are done. I will, however, pass all sorts of judgments on the myriad who’ve appointed themselves judge and jury. Crying for justice while simultaneously subverting it is simply asinine.
No one is suggesting being armed makes him right. Every situation is indeed different. If he wasn’t armed that “kid” might have killed him. What if Zimmerman were your kid?
Mine could be next too, especially if he starts beating a stranger on the street. Especially if he’s been living the “thug life,” as was Travon, as evidenced by his Twitter account. Especially if his parents failed to adequately supervise his life, resulting in a 6’3″ 160 lb man child with his head full of filth and the predisposition to sucker punch strangers for the crime of looking at him.
You’re doing to Trayvon what the media has done to Zimmerman… villianize him based on some cherrypicked data points. What about Zimmerman’s alleged domestic abuse, “assaulting police officer”, etc…
Don’t judge either until the facts are really out… else you are doing exactly the same sin the media is… but aiming your suspicions at the dead kid instead.
+1
GET REAL, nobody is giving George Zimmerman a pass. Most of us think he was a moron for getting out of his car in the first place. Until the evidence is in, we’re just not prepared to throw the guy to the wolves just yet. So why are you?
Seems to me most people do not realize that Martin was far from the road when Zimmerman first observed him. On a dark rainy night it appears Martin approached Zimmerman at first then headed to the backyards. I at first thought it was odd to get out of the SUV, but once I realized how far Zimm was from Martin, and that his goal was to keep track of him, it no longer seemed odd to get out of the car, and to call 911 as he walked. But two products of Jesuit law schools can agree: The precise details well-conveyed to the grand jury or trial jury visually and with motivational explanation will matter. Lawyering is not trivial in this case both on the PR side and the convening or courtroom side.
““the only source who can get answers for this family at this point, is the Justice Department.””
The same justice department that cozies up to the Black Panthers. In other words friends we are looking for a unique form of justice here.
The answers were provided by the police chief and the DA. The answer was, “no charges will be filed.”
“Looking for answers” here means “why isn’t the DA doing what we tell him to do?”
DA’s rarely release any further documents or “answers” after the decision to no bill. ALL of the “Category Four” BS storm down there is simply over the fact that a “white hispanic” man shot a black man, legal justification being irrelevant. That’s the chosen trigger for the Obama-funded Sharpton/Jackson blacksploitation, MFM media feeding frenzy that’s running down there.
DA’s rarely release any further documents or “answers” after the decision to no bill.
The grand jury hasn’t determined anything yet, so there isn’t a “no bill” to announce. I expect that George Zimmerman will be indicted.
Really? The Black Panthers, again?
And the basis for Federal jurisdiction is . . . what exactly?
Neat question.
stop making sense.
Well, the usual basis for stuff Sharpton and Jackson get involved in seems to be some kind of civil rights violation, so I’m expecting it to be something complicated and convoluted that adds up to “shooting someone who is assaulting you is a violation of the assaulter’s civil rights”.
The argument should be interesting.
“the only source who can get answers for this family at this point, is the Justice Department.”
Today’s Justice Department is increasingly similar to the Gestapo Public Relations Department.
Think Holder would have moved thus quickly over fast and furious if a white- Latino Mexican had killed a black border patrol agent when they were firing over the border?
Good rhetorical question.
Reading comments from the last few posts regarding this whole fiasco has left me quite discouraged. FLAME DELETED I’m not speaking to the guilt or innocence of Zimmerman, and I’m not jumping to any conclusions on that score (though many here have). I’m speaking to the generally ugly tone of the conversation. A lot of you decry the shameless demagoguery of the Revs Jackson and Sharpton, but ask yourself, are you any better?
This seems like a case we can all learn from, but that ain’t gonna happen. Just more hate and FLAME DELETED.
I really think we can do better.
Legal gun owners generally have a very, very low opinion of thugs, regardless of skin color. If you’ve read Trayvon’s twitter feed, well….
http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/26/the-daily-caller-obtains-trayvon-martins-tweets/
Throw in ‘suspended from school for having a baggie containing pot residue’, even without the “possession of women’s jewelry given to him by a ‘friend’ he declined to identify, and a modified screwdriver” bit… well, reserving judgment until the whole story is out is the correct thing to do, but something stinks pretty badly, and I don’t think it’s patchouli.
You make my point for me…on one side, we have people painting Zimmerman as a stone cold racist murderer (NBC’s editing of the 911 tape, for instance), on the other side, Martin is Public Enemy Number One. Black or white, to use a loaded metaphor.
I don’t think either of these views is likely correct, or helpful.
And man, the “FLAME DELETED” police have really broadened their scope. I’m not speaking about anyone personally, but asking for a little more intropsection from all of us, myself included. I can’t help but notice that nastiness and name calling directed from right to left seem far more tolerated than vice-versa – ie. “Dirty stinking hippie” is fine and dandy, “racist bastard” not so much. Just sayin’.
Nice double breasted suit you loser.
Since paid reporters have opted to extrapolate rather than gather facts (obviously a thing of the past) so will I, an unpaid sceptic. Big “O” says that if he had a son he would look like Trayvon. My question once this information was extrapolated is this. Wouldn’t that made Trayvon the son of a thug? Just saying.
Given the fact that we’re all getting our information on this shitstorm fifteenth hand, I think it’s time to take a long breath and cease/desist. I’m sure this drives up the page views, but it’s not healthy for us as a community or a nation. Look, here’s what we KNOW.
1: A man named Zimmerman shot a teenager named Martin.
2: The media has, is, and will continue to lie and manufacture “evidence” in this case. The race baiters are out in force. All the “information” on this case is tainted.
3: Zimmerman’s statements are necessarily self-interested.
4: None of us, not one single person, no matter how much you’ve read or pored over Google Earth, really has any clue what happened that night, or knows either Zimmerman or Martin. This we know.
It’s time to shut up, stop extrapolating how evil/gangster/racist either person was, stop whining about the cops until we know something solid, stop playing internet detective, stop identifying with either side on a personal level. Neither Martin’s pot bag nor Zimmerman’s former arrest has a goddamn thing to do with what happened that night. Zimmerman may have committed murder, and he may have acted in self defense. That’s what we have courts for. If the process is faulty, I have no doubt there will be the interest to expose it, but we’ll never know until it is over.
Zimmerman is not you because he owned a gun any more than Martin is your son because you have one.
Just shut up.
I think we should try to have a better conversation. This is an important case, we should talk about it. That doesn’t mean jumping to conclusions or wildly speculating. There is something to be learned here.
Wow, a lawyer lied? You don’t say?
As far as I’m concerned we still have freedom of speach. FLAME DELETED
Mmm, can I assume you bring the same scintillating intellectual prowess to this discussion every time?
Minor quibble, no one has the right to free “speach”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Speach
And if the commentary here has the freedom to display their rush to judgement on either side, I certainly claim the same freedom to tell them that their speculation is unfounded and detrimental.
Just so I’m clear. It’s alright for you to question my intellect, yet you delete a harmless comment (not a swear word which I’ve noticed you like to use) I made about your post telling people to shut-up.
My initial post was a slam on Obama for sticking his nose into the local authorities business. Admittedly I used the departed in poor taste and for that I’m sorry, nothing else.
Comments are closed.