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...and I don't piss off easy. WTF is the DOJ trying to do here?

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Justice Department condemns Ferguson leaks as effort to influence opinion

October 22, 2014, 5:29 PM



With a grand jury decision looming on whether a white police officer should face charges in the killing of an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Mo., the investigation has sprung a few leaks..

New details from the inquiry into Michael Brown�s Aug. 9 death � all provided by unidentified sources and which seem to support Officer Darren Wilson�s story of what happened that day � have emerged in St. Louis and national news outlets in recent days.

The U.S. Department of Justice condemned the leaks Wednesday as �irresponsible and highly troubling� and said, �There seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case.�

The details and news reports say that Brown struggled with Wilson in his patrol car and that Wilson�s gun went off in the car before a brief foot chase ensued.

�There's really nothing to investigate. We don't have control over anybody leaking anything.�- Ed Magee, spokesman for the St.

Wilson ultimately shot Brown several times, and Brown�s body lay in the street for more than four hours, kindling a rage on the streets of Ferguson and St. Louis that has yet to wholly subside.

The leaks seemed to create a fresh rupture in trust with black St. Louis-area officials and protesters, who said Wednesday that they were upset with what they saw as another breakdown in the justice system because information from the supposedly secret grand jury continued to appear in the media. The grand jury�s decision is expected in November.

�There is no way there should be reports from all these anonymous sources and these �leaks� ....This is supposed to play out in the courts and the justice system, and not the media,� said Patricia Bynes, a Ferguson resident and prominent voice in the protest movement. Quoting a popular chant, she added, �The whole damn system is guilty as hell.�


The New York Times reported that investigators found Brown�s blood on Wilson�s gun, on the interior door panel of Wilson�s car and on Wilson�s uniform.

The Washington Post reported that several black witnesses had provided details in secret grand jury testimony that supported Wilson�s account.

Officer Darren Wilson, shown in this still image from a video, attends a council meeting in Ferguson this year.

And the official autopsy report, obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, showed a gunshot wound to Brown�s hand that appeared to be from close range. That seemed to support the officer�s account that there was a struggle for his gun inside his patrol car.

According to the preliminary police account, which was included in the autopsy report, the confrontation began when Wilson spotted Brown and a friend walking in the street:

Wilson �observed the two individuals, he requested that they get out of the roadway. The deceased became belligerent towards Officer Wilson.

�As Officer Wilson attempted to exit out of his patrol vehicle the deceased pushed his door shut and began to struggle with Officer Wilson, during the struggle the Officers weapon was un-holstered. The weapon discharged during the struggle.

�The deceased then ran down the roadway. Officer Wilson then began to chase the deceased. As he was giving chase to the deceased, the deceased turned around and ran towards officer Wilson.

�Officer Wilson had his service weapon drawn, as the deceased began to run towards him, he discharged his service weapon several times.�


Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Brown�s family, said he was not surprised by the autopsy report�s details.

�Several independent witnesses indicated there was a brief altercation between Michael Brown and Officer Wilson at the patrol car,� Crump said in a statement. �What we want to know is why Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown multiple times and killed him even though he was more than 20 feet away from his patrol car; this is the crux of the matter!�

But other activists and St. Louis-area officials saw the leaks as the crux of the matter, deriding news outlets for reporting the leaked information and investigative officials for leaking it.

�A non-transparent grand jury process and a leaky investigation is not the way the outcome of this important case should be determined,� tweeted St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, who participated in many Ferguson demonstrations. �These leaks do not help restore people's faith in the justice system. Quite the opposite.�

St. Louis County prosecutor�s office spokesman Ed Magee said his office probably wouldn�t investigate the leaks because prosecutors could not force journalists to divulge their sources and because the information could be coming from federal officials in Washington.

�There�s really nothing to investigate,� Magee said Wednesday. �We don�t have control over anybody leaking anything. All we can control is people in our office and the grand jury, and it�s not coming from us or the grand jury.�

He said that �you can tell by the information they have� that the leaks are not coming from the grand jury or the prosecutor�s office, citing reports using sourcing language such as �officials briefed on the investigation.�


�We�ve got a joint investigation going on [with federal officials], so we�re sharing information and we�ve been sharing information the whole time,� Magee said.

A Justice Department spokeswoman responded in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: �The department considers the selective release of information in this investigation to be irresponsible and highly troubling. Since the release of the convenience-store footage, there seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case.�

The reference to the convenience-store footage alluded to a video released by Ferguson police on the same day they disclosed Wilson's identity. The video showed Brown apparently intimidating a store clerk shortly before the shooting.

Chris King, managing editor of the St. Louis American, a newspaper for black audiences, said law enforcement officials had offered him the leaks, saying �they had been briefed on the evidence and it didn't look good for Michael Brown supporters,� but he declined and decried �third-party hearsay� in an editorial for the paper.


�Tensions are so high that preparations for riots, if Wilson walks free, are discussed in sober terms in local and national media and on street corners,� the American said in its editorial. �The editors of these powerful publications have shown a lapse in judgment and ethics that is not only shameful, but actually dangerous. We declare a mistrial in the court of public opinion.�

The paper asked that Officer Wilson be charged with second-degree murder and that his case be taken to trial.

Justice Department Condemns Leaks In Michael Brown Case As Attempt To 'Influence Public'

The Justice Department condemned a series of leaks from the investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., The Los Angeles Times reported. The death of the unarmed black teenager on Aug. 9 sparked weeks of protests and a national debate over police tactics.

The leaks from the official inquiry into the shooting appear to support the account of the incident given by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, that he and Brown struggled, and that he opened fire when Brown allegedly reached for his gun.

An unnamed Justice Department spokeswoman called the leaks "irresponsible and highly troubling" and said, "There seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case," the Times reported.


An unidentified Justice Department official also told The Huffington Post's Ryan J. Reilly that Attorney General Eric Holder is "exasperated" by the apparent "selective leaks," in the case.

The leak of sensitive details about the official investigation have come from unnamed sources, and all seem to corroborate Wilson's account of what happened, that Brown attacked him in his car.

Unnamed government officials told The New York Times that Brown's blood was found on Wilson and on the interior of the police car, suggesting that at least some of the shots fired at Brown were at close range.

An official autopsy report obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed that Brown was shot in the hand at close range. The Post-Dispatch's report also cited experts not affiliated with the case who posited the findings suggest there was an altercation in the police car and that Brown was going for the officer's gun.

On Wednesday, unnamed sources told The Washington Post that seven or eight black witnesses have given testimony before a grand jury deciding whether to indict Wilson that was "consistent" with the officer's account. The witnesses have not gone public with their accounts for fear of their safety.

Other witnesses who have gone public about what they saw claim Brown was attempting to surrender when Wilson fired the fatal shots.

The release of the autopsy details was met with criticism by Ferguson officials and protesters; they say they're concerned that leaks from what is supposed to be a secret grand jury investigation indicate justice may be in jeopardy.

Ferguson resident and protester Patricia Byrnes told the Los Angeles Times, "There is no way there should be reports from all these anonymous sources and these 'leaks' ... This is supposed to play out in the courts and the justice system, and not the media," adding, "The whole damn system is guilty as hell."

St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, a prominent voice in the months following the incident, tweeted, "A non-transparent grand jury process and a leaky investigation is not the way the outcome of this important case should be determined."

Some protesters said they believe the leaks are intended to ready the public for the possibility that the grand jury will decide not to indict Wilson.

It's always easy to tell when there is NO leadership as they play both sides of the fence, which is what is going on here.

Look at it this way......rioting in the cold snowy winter has got to be of a lessor intensity than rioting on a hot humid summer night.

Since when is the truth considered a "leak", and then condemned by DOJ? I didn't know DOJ's job is to concern themselves with news stories?

They sure have stood by while thousands lawlessly riot, loot and pillage, and tell whatever lies keeps the natives restless.

From the beginning I've blamed the media for the rioting in Ferguson.

Their headlines screamed "unarmed black teen killed by white cop."

Instead of the more accurate "robbery suspect killed while assaulting officer."

Of course the version I prefer wouldn't win any awards. Jerks. So instead the media incites a riot, giving them more chance to portray the white cops as bad guys.

Ferguson ought to send the various news agencies the bill for rebuilding the town and all the expenses dealing with the mess.

About this latest leak? I dunno. An attempt to keep Ferguson from going up in flames again when the grand jury announces there is no case against the officer?

Guy

How, exactly, is the release of the official autopsy by the Medical Examiner jeopardize justice?

Justice in Jeopardy???



That ship sailed decades ago....

I'm not sure it's really a "leak" when the Medical Examiner provides the media with the official results of their autopsy, as per protocol. If we'll recall, the families fake autopsy report was released within days in an effort to taint the investigation.

As you know, it has nothing to do with jeopardizing justice but it does jeopardize their agenda.

You're right, and we've beat this up enough. I am literally amazed however, that the DOJ of the United States of America is stirring this pot.

Michelle and I have swapped places. For the first time in my life, I am utterly embarrassed by my country.

St. Louis County prosecutor�s office spokesman Ed Magee said his office probably wouldn�t investigate the leaks because prosecutors could not force journalists to divulge their sources and because the information could be coming from federal officials in Washington.

This.

The Washington pukes have leaking down to a science.

There will never be "peace" around the USA until race baiting stops producing results. What results? Ramping up black anger, obtaining more state & federal funding, increasing name recognition of the baiters, getting out the vote and getting front page coverage.
If blacks are allowed to realize that the overwhelming majority of whites do not hate them, wish them well and much success, this issue will be off the table and we can move on.

The "leaks" in Ferguson are purposeful acts by the DOJ to ramp up anger and funnel that energy into "getting out the vote". Witness what they are doing in Georgia - playing off of Ferguson.
Holder is the most evil US AG ever to occupy that office.
Elections matter.

This^^^

The DOJ doesn't really want the truth; they want to be in control of the truth by limiting who has access to it. Now that the truth has "leaked," it's so much harder to twist the facts.

Steve.

In the past six years, I have never heard of so many news stories prefaced by "on the condition of anonymity".

As I said, I believe both sides are being played. DOJ is pandering to the blacks in hopes of making them 'happy' and give them the 'moral' victory; whilst knowing all along what way this will turn out.

Yep.

All problems stem from leadership. It's obvious this area has none.



Travis

When it's voiced by a Dem such as Holder - the most lawless AG probably in the history of the US..

Dems HATE the truth...

yep, can't have it both ways.

I'm not much of one for twisting rules. That said, I can see where a "higher up" could reach the conclusion that a leak of info related to specifics that could soften the blow (somewhat) of the final decision might be a worthwhile course to take... Not saying it will make things better or worse, but I can see why it might be intentionally leaked.

What is crazy is the DOJ jumping in and throwing gas on the fire after the fact.