George Zimmerman on DOJ investigation
George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, discusses the Justice Departments investigation of the incident to see if Martin #39;s civil rights were violated....
By: Gunscom
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George Zimmerman on DOJ investigation - Video
George Zimmerman: Thanks Obama
George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, discusses the affect President Obama had on his case. Video provided by the law firm of Ayo and Iken...
By: Gunscom
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George Zimmerman: Thanks Obama - Video
In a recent interview, George Zimmerman criticizes President Obama for his response following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and reflects on his life since then. (Video provided by the law firm of Ayo and Iken in Orlando Florida)
George Zimmerman, the ex-neighborhood watchman accused and then acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, said he doesnt feel guilty for surviving the incident. But he blames President Obama for the way he handled it.
Zimmerman lashed out in a 13-minute video posted online Monday by his lawyer. He said with the Justice Department investigation behind him, he finally felt he could speak out without fear of retaliation by the president.
In February 2012, Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Martin in Sanford, Fla., where Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer. Since then, Zimmerman has maintained that he pulled the trigger in self-defense. Still, Martins death ignited worldwide discussions about racial profiling.
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and, in July 2013, a jury acquitted him. Then last month, the Justice Department, which had been investigating the case as a potential hate crime, decided not to prosecute him.
In the video, Zimmerman compared his ideals to those of Anne Frank, saying, I still believe that people are truly good at heart, as Anne Frank has said, and I will put myself in any position to help another human in any way I can.
He said he would only feel guilty for Martins death if he thought he could have saved both Martins life and his own that night.
Only in a true life or death scenario can you have mental clearness to know that you cannot feel guilty for surviving, he said. Had I had a fraction of the thought that I could have done something differently, acted differently so that both of us who survived, then I would have heavier weight on my shoulders. That sense in the back of my mind but in all fairness you cannot as a human feel guilty for living, for surviving.
[RELATED: George Zimmerman resurfaces in Florida, again in security mode]
[RELATED: Trayvon Martin was shot and killed three years ago today]
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George Zimmerman compares himself to Anne Frank, blames ...
In his first public comments since the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not prosecute him for violating Trayvon Martin's civil rights, George Zimmerman says he was victimized by President Obama.
The president should never have allowed the DOJ investigation and is guilty of ramping up racial tension when he said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman is the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Sanford on Feb. 26, 2012, setting off civil rights demonstrations across the country and beyond.
A Seminole County jury acquitted Zimmerman of manslaughter in 2013.
Zimmerman went into hiding after the shooting and still tightly guards his privacy.
He has rejected most media requests for an interview but on March 8 video-recorded an interview with his Tampa divorce lawyer, Howard Iken of Ayo and Iken PLC.
In it, he faulted the media for portraying him as a racist and the criminal justice system for bringing him to trial but saved his harshest criticism for Obama, whom he accused of trying to prosecute "an innocent American."
"For him to make incendiary comments as he did and direct the Department of Justice to pursue a baseless prosecution, he by far over-stretched, over-reached," Zimmerman said.
The president, whom he referred to as "Barack Hussein Obama," should have told the public, " 'Let's not rush to judgment,' " Zimmerman said.
On Feb. 24, the Department of Justice announced that it would file no charges against Zimmerman and was closing its three-year-old investigation.
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George Zimmerman: The President ramped up racial tension ...
Story highlights Zimmerman criticizes Obama's comments during the Trayvon Martin case "To me, that was clearly a dereliction of duty," he says
Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in 2013 over Martin's death, made the allegations against Obama in a video posted on his lawyers' website.
The February 2012 killing of Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by Zimmerman, a Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer, stirred fierce debate about race and the justice system.
Zimmerman, who is now 31, said he shot Martin in self-defense during a confrontation in Sanford, Florida. But critics allege the death was spurred by racial profiling.
In the new video, Zimmerman claims it was Obama who stoked racial tensions surrounding the case.
He cites the President's remarks in March 2012, when the case was still being investigated, in which Obama said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."
"To me, that was clearly a dereliction of duty, pitting Americans against each other solely based on race," Zimmerman says in the conversation with his lawyer Howard Iken, who does not appear on camera.
Zimmerman notes that Obama's press secretary at the time, Jay Carney, had said previously that the White House would not wade into the case, calling it "a local law-enforcement matter."
Asked if he felt there was one government agency or official who brought the most unfairness to his situation, Zimmerman is quick to respond.
"By far, the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama," he says.
Originally posted here:
George Zimmerman blames Obama