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President Donald Trump repeated Monday his claim that there could be activity outside the framework of a shocking video tape of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery that may be relevant to the case in which ‘no one saw’ what was happening.
Trump made the comment raising apparent doubts about the video evidence for the second time in the explosive case, even when he said he was ‘disturbed’ by the case, which has drawn the attention of the Justice Department as a possible hate crime.
‘Well, I saw the tape and when they moved to the left, I don’t think when they moved to the left, off the tape, nobody saw what was going on. No one saw him, ‘Trump said at the White House when asked about the murder of Arbery, who is black.
It’s an empty spot on the tape, I guess. Now do you have additional tapes I hope? Trump continued, speaking about the video showing Arbery being shot at close range in his own Georgia neighborhood.
“No one saw what was happening,” President Trump said, pointing to a moment during a fight in the video of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
“But I will say that it is something that, according to what I saw, does not look good.”
Then Trump referred to South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is black.
‘Someone I respect a lot is Senator Scott from South Carolina, you know who I’m talking about, he’s a great gentleman. He’s a great senator, he’s a great gentleman, Tim Scott. And I called him two days ago and I said, ‘What do you think? Tell me what you think. Tell me what you think?’ He is very disturbed by that. He is very disturbed. And I’m also very disturbed, ” Trump said.
Trump said of the incident: ‘I think it is horrible. And it is certainly being seen by many people. I am talking to a lot of people about it.
‘He looked, I saw the picture of him in his tuxedo. He was so beautiful. He looks like a wonderful young man. It would have been wonderful, just a wonderful guy. I think it is a horrible thing. I think it is a horrible thing.
‘For me it is a very sad thing. I spoke to several people who are very involved in this. I have followed him very closely, it breaks your heart to see him. Break your ear to see it. Break your heart. And certainly the video was a terrible looking video for me, ” Trump said.
“There are a lot of people looking at it,” Trump said. He said hopefully a “very fast” response would come.
Trump was answering a question about a previous comment that he made that also referred to something that could have happened off the tape and that could somehow undermine what is revealed.
“You know, it could be something we didn’t see on the tape,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News. “There could be a lot, if I saw things get off the tape and then re-recorded, but it was troublesome.”
Trump appears to be referring to a short part of the tape where Arbery and his suspected killers briefly move off the screen during a fight before Arbery, unarmed, is shot dead.
Arbery’s autopsy revealed that the 25-year-old was killed by two short-range gunshot wounds to the chest and was also shot in the hand when he was chased and shot by a duo of vigilantes father and white son in Brunswick. , Georgia, in February.
TMZ obtained an autopsy from Ahmaud on Monday. The 25-year-old had no drugs or alcohol in his system, and was wearing two blood-soaked cinnamon-colored scarves.
It has taken almost three months for Travis and Gregory McMichael and three different prosecutors to be arrested and charged with his murder. The Georgia Attorney General is now investigating the handling of the case amid claims that prosecutors approved it to protect Gregory, 64, a former police detective who recently worked at the local district attorney’s office.
The case has sparked outrage worldwide and some say it is evidence of persistent racism in the south. Over the weekend, people rushed to honor what would have been Ahmaud’s 26th birthday, and armed protesters took to the streets.
The McMichaels’ defense has been that they were making a citizen arrest after suspecting that Ahmaud had broken into and robbed houses in their neighborhood. They said that Travis, 34, exercised his position by shooting Ahmaud, claiming that the 25-year-old unarmed took his weapon.
On Monday, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said: “ The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the FBI, and the US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia have been supporting and will continue to support and fully participate in the state investigation. We are evaluating all the evidence to determine if federal hate crime charges are appropriate, “Kupec said in a statement.”
The McMichaels have been charged by the State of Georgia with murder and aggravated assault that carry the maximum prison sentence.
Georgia does not have hate crimes as a state, but the federal charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison when the hate crime results in death. A federal prosecution would replace a state case and could deny it if the defendants were found guilty and the need for state prosecution was reduced.
It arrives when the new surveillance video of Arbery appears entering a construction site on the day of his death, looking around the property and then leaving empty-handed the day he was shot dead.
But the new video obtained by News4Jax appears to undermine his suspicious claim of unstable theft. It shows Ahmaud entering a house under construction in Brunswick, looking around and then leaving without taking anything.
In the two months leading up to Ahmaud’s murder, there were no reports of alleged robberies in the area, and the owner of the property under construction has spoken out saying they have no ties to the McMichaels.
Scroll down to watch the video
Ahmaud Arbery inside the house under construction on February 23, the day he was killed. He entered the house, then left empty-handed, and was then shot and killed by Travis McMichael, who had chased him with his father, Gregory, a former police officer.
Ahmaud had run out when he crossed the house. His family says the images show he was not a thief and that, at most, he would have been guilty of trespassing.
Another video shows Ahmaud entering the property. It was taken with a surveillance camera in a different home
Gregory (left) and Travis McMichael (right) were charged with murder and aggravated assault in the Feb. 23 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
Arbery’s death has sparked outrage across the country. A demonstration was held on Friday for the murdered runner, the day he would have celebrated his 26th birthday.
The owner shared the video and said they had never had any contact with the McMichaels, let alone called them to investigate any break-ins.
The lawyer representing Ahmaud’s family says the video shows that, at most, Ahmaud would have been guilty of trespassing.
It is unclear what time the video was taken at the construction site.
According to the police report on his death, Ahmaud was shot dead at 14:46.
A timestamp on a different surveillance camera video says he entered the construction site at 2.13 p.m. The camera may be malfunctioning an hour faster.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it is now investigating the video along with cell phone images of the Ahmaud murder that went viral.
The property is owned by Larry English.
Over the weekend, he released a statement through an attorney to say that he neither called the McMichaels to pursue Ahmaud, nor condoned in any way how they killed him.
Ahmaud was killed while running on February 23. It is unclear if he had come from his mother’s home, which is less than two miles from where the shooting took place. The McMichaels said they saw him ‘dragging a **’ down Satilla Drive and that they had seen him on surveillance cameras inside the houses near them, but it is unclear which houses they were referring to. He was shot and killed at an intersection not far from the houses.
‘First and most importantly, the English family, the owners, want Ahmaud Arbery’s parents to know that they are very sorry for the loss of their child and are praying for them.
TIMETABLE FOR PACKAGED CASE MANAGEMENT
23 of February: Ahmaud Arbery is shot to death on the street in Brunswick, Georgia.
Gregory and Travis McMichael had gone out in their car with weapons to chase him because they mistaken him for a thief.
When they caught up with him, Travis got out of the car.
Jackie Johnson recused himself because McMichael used to work in his office
Greg says they told Arbery they wanted to talk to him and that he attacked Travis. A fight ensued and Travis fired his gun twice, killing Ahmaud, 25.
End of February: the first prosecutor recuses
Jackie Johnson, the Brunswick District Attorney, dropped the case because Gregory used to work in his office as an investigator.
Mid-April: Second Prosecutor says he will not press charges, then refuses
George Barnhill said Ahmaud started the fight
George Barnhill received the case.
At first he said he didn’t think he deserved charges because the McMichaels were acting legally in trying to carry out a citizen arrest, which is legal in Georgia.
He also said the video “shows” Arbery reaching for Travis’s gun.
Barnhill recused himself because his son, also named George Barnhill, works in the office where McMichael used to
However, the first shot is fired when the pair is out of frame.
When the camera returned to them, they were fighting alongside the vehicle again.
Barnhill said Travis held his ground firing three shots that hit Arbery.
He later had to recuse himself after it was learned that his son works at the Brunswick District Attorney’s Office, where Gregory served.
May 5: the third prosecutor passes it to the grand jury
Tom Durden is the third prosecutor to have the case on his desk.
He said his office would deal with it without prejudice.
This week, he announced that he would not make a decision on whether to indict or not, and that he wants to convene a grand jury to take it on.
May 7: Georgia Bureau of Investigation files charges
The GBI announced that it would press charges of murder and aggravated assault against Gregory and Travis on May 7.
Second, it is crucial to understand that the English family, the owners, were not part of what the McMichaels did.
‘The first accounts suggested a link between the McMichaels and the owners, but there is none.
‘The English family had no relationship with the McMichaels and did not even know what had happened until after they were informed of Mr. Arbery’s death.
‘After seeing Mr. Arbery’s photo on news reports, Larry English didn’t even think that Mr. Arbery was the person featured in this video.
“Even if it had been, however, Mr. English would never have sought a vigilant response, much less one that results in a tragic death,” his attorney, Elizabeth Graddy, told First Coast News.
Ahmaud’s parents’ lawyer confirmed that it is him in the video.
‘This video is consistent with the evidence we already know.
Ahmaud Arbery went running. He stopped at a property under construction where he did not engage in any illegal activity and remained only for a short period.
‘Ahmaud did not take anything from the construction site. It did not cause any property damage, “said Lee Merritt.
Last week, after mounting global outrage, the case was removed from the hands of local prosecutors for investigation by the state.
Gregory and Travis were charged with murder and aggravated assault.
Greg McMichael had investigated Arbery before while working as an investigator in the Brunswick District Attorney’s Office.
In a letter to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr withdrawing from the case, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill said his own son and Gregory “both helped with the prior prosecution of (Ahmaud) Arbery.”
Arbery had been sentenced to five years probation as the first felon on charges of carrying a gun on campus and on several counts of obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was also convicted of a probation violation in 2018 after being charged with shoplifting.
Arbery had been sentenced to five years probation as the first felon on charges of carrying a gun on campus and on several counts of obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was also convicted of a probation violation in 2018 after being charged with shoplifting.
Gregory, who retired from the district attorney’s office in 2019, had not mentioned his involvement in the case to the police.
George E. Barnhill was the second prosecutor to recuse himself in mid-April after pressure from the Arbery family. She claims that she only found out about her son’s link to the victim “three or four weeks ago.”
In his letter, Barnhill added that the criminal charges against the McMichaels were unwarranted, citing the criminal history of Arbery’s brother and cousin.
Exclusive photos show the time when Gregory McMichael (pictured) and his son Travis McMichael were arrested Thursday at their home in Brunswick, Georgia.
An officer from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is seen taking out Travis McMichael, 34, in handcuffs.
Photo: 20-year-old black Georgia man is arrested for setting up a fake Facebook page in support of Ahmaud Arbery’s two killers and for threatening protesters who paid their respects at the place where the 25-year-old runner was’ lynched ‘
Rashawn Smith, 20, was arrested in Midway, Georgia, on Sunday after authorities alleged that he created a fake Facebook account and used it to make a false threat against protesters demanding justice for the murdered broker Ahmaud Arbery.
Georgia state investigators announced Sunday that they arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of creating a fake Facebook account and using it to post a ‘misleading’ threat against protesters angered by the killing of unarmed black man Ahmaud, 25. Arbery
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Sunday that state police arrested Rashawn Smith and accused him of spreading information related to terrorist acts.
Smith allegedly created a fake Facebook page and used it to make threats against protesters.
He was arrested in Midway, a town about 80 kilometers north of Brunswick.
Earlier in the day, the GBI said it “had been informed of a Facebook post containing a threat to future Ahmaud Arbery-related protests.”
It was not immediately clear if Smith has an attorney who can comment on the charge.
Hundreds of people gathered alongside some 300 cyclists in Brunswick on Saturday to honor Arbery.
The cyclists were seen kneeling at the spot where Arbery was shot dead on February 23 by two white men who claim they were making a citizen’s arrest as they suspected a robbery in the neighborhood.
On Saturday, the cyclists were seen kneeling at the spot where Arbery was fatally shot. One of the balloons left on the site says ‘Happy Birthday’. Arbery would have turned 26 on Friday
Hundreds of people along with about 300 cyclists gathered in Brunswick to honor Arbery on Saturday
Some of the protesters held up signs saying “Our lives also matter!” and “Dear whites, when racism is not denounced, white supremacy is defended by default.”
Several of the attendees near the Sidney Lanier Bridge wore face masks and T-shirts with the phrase “I Run With Maud” in tribute to Arbery.
Saturday’s memorial service was held just a day after protesters gathered at the same site demanding justice for Arbery on what would have been his 26th birthday.
Georgia’s attorney general asked the Justice Department on Sunday to investigate the management of the Arbery murder.
“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the beginning,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement.
“The family, the community, and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others at state and federal law enforcement to find those answers.”
Under Georgia law, someone other than a sworn police officer can arrest and detain another person only if a serious crime is committed in the presence of the citizen who arrested him.
Georgia AG asks the US Department of Justice. USA That he investigate the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, as it is revealed that the highest prosecutor who recused himself said that killing two armed white men was a “justifiable murder”
George Barnhill, Sr (left), the chief prosecutor for the Waycross Judicial Circuit, told police in February that the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery (right), 25, by two white men was “justifiable murder”.
Georgia’s attorney general asked the United States Department of Justice on Sunday to investigate the conduct of the investigation into the Arbery murder.
Arbery was killed on February 23, but no arrests were made until Thursday after national outrage over the case escalated last week when a video appeared showing the shooting that was criticized as “lynching.”
“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the beginning,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement.
“The family, the community, and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others at state and federal law enforcement to find those answers.”
Lawyers for Arbery’s mother and father applauded Carr for communicating with federal officials.
“We have requested the involvement of the Department of Justice since we took this case,” attorneys S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart said in a statement.
“There are too many questions about how this case was handled and why it took 74 days for two of the killers to be arrested and charged with the death of Mr. Arbery.”
Last week, a Justice Department spokesman said the FBI is assisting in the investigation and that the Justice Department will assist him if a federal crime is discovered.
It comes after the Georgia district attorney who withdrew from the case emerged and told investigators that the fatal shooting was a ‘justifiable homicide’ and that the father-son duo who killed Arbery should not be charged.
George Barnhill, Sr, the chief prosecutor for the Waycross Judicial Circuit, told Glynn County police on February 24, the day after the shooting, that there was insufficient evidence to charge Travis McMichael, 34, and her 64-year-old father, former police officer Greg McMichael.
The Glynn County Police Department released a statement to The Brunswick News on Saturday saying that Travis and Greg McMichael were questioned for questioning around 3:30 p.m. from February 23.
Earlier this week, two Glynn County commissioners said that current Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson also blocked police from arresting the McMichaels because she was friends with Gregory McMichael.
Officers investigating the scene of the fatal shooting on February 23 told Johnson’s office they had reason to arrest the father and son at the time, but the district attorney closed them.
Gregory McMichael had worked as an investigator in his office until his retirement in 2019, prompting Johnson to withdraw from the case a few days after the shooting.
“He closed them to protect his friend McMichael,” Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker told The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
