GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich appeared on Piers Morgan talk show Thursday night and was asked to comment on the Trayvon Martin case.
“I think the local district attorney is doing exactly the right thing,” he said. “He’s taking it to the grand jury. I’m sure he’s going to present the evidence. Not just the 911 call, but the previous 911 calls and the fact that the police has been dealing with this guy for a year.”
(Head over to Collegiate NetVision (CNV) page to listen to George Zimmerman 911 Audio by Clicking here.)
(Head over to Collegiate NetVision (CNV) page to listen to Trayvon Martin’s Screams for Help in 911 Audio by Clicking here.)
I have faith, he said, that the American system of justice will in fact work.
Gingrich said the balance of power between the police and district attorney is very important in this case.
“The district attorney has the ability it step in and say wait a second, let’s look at this again,” he said.
The police chief himself, he added, has been suspended.
There has been a huge outcry over the police handling of the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed teenager who was walking back to his father’s fiancé’s house from the store. When police examined the teen’s body, they found skittles and a can of iced tea in his pockets.
George Zimmerman, who pursued the teen despite orders from the police, was allowed to go home after the murder citing “self-defense.”
Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee stepped down from his position Thursday amid pressure of community residents and a day after the Sanford city commission issued him a 3-2 vote of “no confidence,” according to the Miami Herald.
Lee issued a statement in a press conference Thursday.
“As a former homicide investigator, career law enforcement officer and a father, I am keenly aware of the emotions associated with the tragic death of a child,” Lee said. “While I stand by the Sanford Police Department, its personnel and the investigation that was conducted in regards to the Trayvon Martin case, it is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process…. I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to the city, which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”
Gingrich believes the American justice system will prevail in the slain teen’s case.
“I think Americans can recognize while this is a tragedy, and it is a tragedy, we’re going to relentlessly seek justice. And I think this is the right thing to do.”
