President Barack Obama’s administration pledged Monday to continue a yearlong investigation into Trayvon Martin’s death and determine whether to file federal charges following a state jury’s acquittal of George Zimmerman.
Attorney General Eric Holder, addressing the national convention of the Delta Sigma Theta, the nation’s largest African-American sorority, called the killing of Trayvon Martin a “tragic, unnecessary shooting,” and said the Justice Department will follow “the facts and the law” as it reviews evidence to see whether federal criminal charges are warranted.
He said the 17-year-old’s death provides an opportunity for the nation to speak honestly about complicated and emotionally charged issues.
On Sunday, the Justice Department said it is reviewing evidence in the case to determine whether criminal civil rights charges would be brought. The department opened an investigation into Martin’s death last year but stepped aside to allow the state prosecution to proceed.
Obama, speaking through White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, stopped short of criticizing the jury that handed down its verdict late Saturday after a trial broadcast on national television.
Instead, he used the case to push for a series of gun control measures that were defeated earlier this year after an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“The president wanted to convey that he felt that the death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy for his family, for a community, but also for the country,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “And he wanted to express his view … that we should ask ourselves if we are doing all that we can to foster compassion and understanding in our communities and to stem the tide of gun violence, as well as how we can prevent future tragedies like this from happening.”
Zimmerman, 29, who has a white father and a Latina mother, argued that he was defending himself when he shot Martin, 17, as the African-American teen was walking home through a Sanford, Fla., gated community in February 2012.
Holder and two other Cabinet members — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan — are expected to address the issue of gun violence today at the NAACP conference in Orlando, Fla., not far from Sanford.
Zimmerman’s acquittal has led to scattered demonstrations across the nation and questions from civil rights organizations. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed an NAACP petition calling on the Justice Department to launch a civil rights investigation, while thousands have signed a White House petition asking Holder to file charges against Zimmerman.
On Capitol Hill, few lawmakers weighed in on the case Monday beyond the head of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, told MSNBC that she was “disheartened and troubled” by the verdict.
“They put a young black boy on trial for being in his own neighborhood, walking home from the store,” she said.
The top four congressional leaders — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — have been uncharacteristically quiet. In answer to a question Sunday on NBC, Reid said he accepted the verdict but planned to take a closer look at Florida’s gun laws.
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland mentioned the case briefly when delivering opening remarks at the NAACP conference.
“We must come together as a nation to learn from the tragedy of his death and take steps to ensure that every single life is equally cherished and protected under our laws,” he said.
Back in Washington, Holder said his department will “continue to act in a manner that is consistent with the facts and the law.”
Carney said Obama would not get involved in the Justice Department investigation and declined to say whether Obama is feeling pressure to weigh in.
“This is a decision made by the Justice Department, by career prosecutors, and all questions about how that process is undertaken should be directed there,” he said. “And that is not something the president involves himself in.”
Last year, after Martin’s death but before Zimmerman was charged, Obama weighed in on the case with the most personal of statements. “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” he said when asked about the case in the Rose Garden in March 2012.
Obama issued another statement this weekend, calling on every American to undergo a period of “calm reflection” after the verdict was announced.
Carney declined to say whether Obama had spoken to Martin’s family this weekend.
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