If the Justice Department decides to pursue civil rights charges against George Zimmerman , President Obama will have had nothing to do with it, according to the White House.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said that President Obama will not express an opinion on the DOJ’s pursuit of Zimmerman after the latter’s stunning acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin this weekend.
Carney said that President Obama’s involvement in a potential DOJ case against Zimmerman would be “inappropriate.”
Since the Zimmerman verdict on Saturday, many critics unhappy with the case’s outcome have begun talking about civil lawsuits, with increased pressure being placed on the Department of Justice to pursue a civil rights against the neighborhood watch volunteer.
The Justice Department has said that they are investigating the case, but did not provide any further information .
Many in the nation have looked to President Obama in recent days to get his take on the Trayvon Martin case, especially in light of his comments last year that if he had a son, he’d look like the slain Florida teen.
Instead, Obama has remained mostly mum on the subject, merely asking that those angry about the case’s outcome do not resort to violence.
According to Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic , there’s a very simple reason why President Obama doesn’t often share his opinion on racially-charged issues.
“It’s very simple — it’s not politically advantageous at all (for him to discuss race),” Coates said.
“The president exists within a system, and if he makes that decision, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t necessarily think those issues are important.”
Do you think that President Obama should publicly support a Department of Justice investigation into the George Zimmerman verdict, or is it better that he stays out of it? Sound off!
