The Blaze Refutes Judicial Watch’s Evidence of DOJ Involvement in Sanford, FL Protests

WHAT IS NEWS AND WHAT IS NOT?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Jul. 10, 2013) — The government watchdog legal organization Judicial Watch reported on Wednesday that it has acquired hundreds of pages of documents from the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service division, whose goal is to act as a “peacemaker” during community conflicts “arising from differences of race, color, and national origin.”  It focuses on communities’ responses to “hate crimes.”

A Freedom of Information Act request submitted by JW following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in February 2012 resulted in the release of the documents from the DOJ.

Zimmerman was accused of second-degree murder.  Zimmerman’s trial concluded on Wednesday, with his attorney telling the public that Zimmerman shot Martin in self-defense.

A Florida citizens’ grand jury has issued a presentment claiming that prosecutor Angela Corey, who brought the charge against Zimmerman, omitted information which would have benefited him and violated her oath of office.

The grand jury, assembled by Atty. Larry Klayman, has issued other indictments citing Barack Hussein Obama and Joseph Biden for national security information leaks.  Klayman is the founder of Judicial Watch, which is now run by Atty. Thomas Fitton.

Several weeks after the shooting, Obama said of Martin, ““If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”   The Washington Post gushed that Obama’s reference to the shooting “avoids taking sides in a political fight” and that “Obama did not deal with the details of the incident.”  Obama said nothing of Zimmerman, but said, “I can only imagine what these parents are going through.  And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this, and that everybody pulls together — federal, state and local — to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.”

Obama has said very little about the hundreds of murders in his “home town” of Chicago, which largely involve blacks and Latinos, including children.

Those testifying for the defense said that forensic evidence supports Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense and that “Trayvon was slamming his [Zimmerman’s] head into a sidewalk.”

On its website, the CRS states that “CRS does not take sides among disputing parties and, in promoting the principles and ideals of non-discrimination, applies skills that allow parties to come to their own agreement. In performing this mission, CRS deploys highly skilled professional conciliators, who are able to assist people of diverse backgrounds.”

However, the documents received from the DOJ and from the City of Sanford, FL through Open Records requests reveal that CRS personnel actively assisted in arranging for meetings which resulted in the resignation of the Sanford police chief and what JW described as “racially-charged demonstrations.” In April of last year, White House Dossier reported that “A largely unknown group of Justice Department officials has inserted itself into the local Florida protest movement surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin, assisting the protestors and attending their meetings and rallies…” and that the agency’s role had broadened under Obama to encompass “more of a preventative role.”

The identities of negotiators working for the CRS are generally maintained as confidential. A key component to the job of CRS mediators is “not taking sides on an issue.”

Glenn Beck’s The Blaze characterized the JW report as a “rumor” and stated that the CRS had properly fulfilled its mission in Sanford despite Judicial Watch’s report which included a reference to an email between Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board Program Officer Amy Carswell and Thomas Battles, CRS Regional Director, which read:

“Thank you Partner. You did lots of stuff behind the scene to make Miami a success. We will continue to work together.”

JW reported that Battles signed the email as “Tommy.”

Nevertheless, The Blaze’s report stated:

In sum, without photos or video of compromising behavior that would show officials stirring up trouble, it seems an overreach to say the DOJ was actively involved in fomenting protests by citing their involvement in aspects surrounding them. Especially when that involvement appears to be fulfilling the group’s mission.

Contrary to The Blaze’s claim, however, JW provided an audio recording of a meeting at the Second Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church at the end of which Thomas Battles is specifically mentioned and thanked for his assistance.

The Blaze’s article suggested that the CRS was “targeted for being present and fulling [sic] it during the highly toxic time after the Trayvon Martin murder.”

In a series of broadcasts beginning on June 7, Beck stated that he had a significant revelation which would cause “the whole world to change” and “take down the entire power structure,” including “Democrats and Republicans.”

On June 12, Beck said that he possessed a one-page document which had been given to members of his staff after being shared with “an ally.”  On June 13, Beck promised that the revelation would be made within “ten days” and produced video of face-to-face meetings with members of Congress.  He predicted that the country would become very “divided.”  Nothing happened.

On Friday, June 14, Beck stated that he would have Sen. Mike Lee as a guest “on Monday,” June 17, implying that Lee possessed information indicating that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts had been blackmailed to change his vote about the health care bill in June of last year.  On June 7, Beck had asked Roberts in an imaginary conversation between an unknown person and Roberts, “What have you done?” implying that various emails could be misconstrued and used as blackmail.

The Post & Email contacted Lee’s office and was told he was not scheduled to appear on Beck’s program on that Monday, although Lee made an appearance on Tuesday.  However, he spoke more about his online book written to refute Roberts’ ruling that the “individual mandate” in the bill could be seen as a tax.  When Beck asked Lee if he believed Roberts was “pressured,” Lee responded by citing Obama’s remarks in the Rose Garden which sent a message to the Supreme Court that it should not overturn the law.  He stated that some Democrats had intimated that if Roberts ruled the law unconstitutional, it would “diminish” his “legacy.”

Lee denied knowing that information gleaned through the NSA’s surveillance programs had led to Roberts’ allegedly changing the way he would vote on the bill, although Lee left open the possibility that “in the future,” such data could be used “for nefarious purposes” against politicians and other officials.

Judicial Watch characterized the CRS’s involvement in Sanford as “extraordinary intervention.”

The Sanford Police Department has called for calm when the verdict from the Zimmerman trial is announced.

Does The Blaze understand that there is a difference between “organizing” events and acting as a “peacemaker?”