Key Witness for Zimmerman Grand Jury Changes Story
In May 2012 FBI interview Taaffe denied any talk of race with Zimmerman
We wrote yesterday about the “October Surprise/Get Out the Vote” announcement by a flailing Obama administration that the Department of Justice will be holding a Grand Jury hearing next Wednesday regarding possible federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.
The only named witness for Wednesday’s hearing is Frank Taaffe, a self-declared “friend” for George Zimmerman.
Earlier this year Taaffe suddenly announced that he believed Zimmerman had a racial, not merely self-defense, motive in killing Trayvon Martin.
This would be more than two years after the shooting occurred.
One wonders why Taaffe waited so long to speak to the FBI on this matter.
Except that, of course, Taaffe had long ago spoken with the FBI on this matter, way back in May 2012 when he was interviewed by FBI Special Agent Oliver following the shooting. (h/t to Legal Insurrection commenter P4R4L3G4L for the reminder.)
At that time he denied any racial discussions with Zimmerman, although he wasn’t shy about expressing his own arguably racist sentiments.
Oliver’s notes of that interview (embedded in full below) provide that:
Taaffe only knew GEORGE ZIMMERMAN as an acquaintance. They never spoke about the complexion or racial makeup of the community.
and
On the night of the shooting if Taaffe would have seen Treyvan [sic] Martin he would have kept a visual on him.
and
The quote by Taaffe, “If you plant corn you will get corn,” was meant as a metaphor for the [black] crime in the area.
Congratulations, Department of Justice. You found your own Rachel Jeantel for your Grand Jury.
Nice job. #golfclap
Here are the FBI interview notes in full:
Color me cynical.
–-Andrew, @LawSelfDefense
Andrew F. Branca is an MA lawyer and the author of the seminal book “The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition,” available at the Law of Self Defense blog (autographed copies available) and Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle). He also holds Law of Self Defense Seminars around the country, and provides free online self-defense law video lectures at the Law of Self Defense Institute and podcasts through iTunes, Stitcher, and elsewhere.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Interesting. I wonder how Hispanic-Americans will react to the disparate treatment of Democrat special classes, and specifically the persecution of Zimmerman by the Democrat administration.
Especially when it depends on the exceedingly dubious word of a white racist who LOVES him some camera.
They won’t react much at all. GZ does not have a Hispanic surname, nor a Hispanic spelling of his Christian name. As far as they’re concerned, he’s a gringo.
Being fairly familiar with Hispanic culture, I would say that most Hispanics (probably close to 100%) would probably totally agree with what GZ did, but they’re not going to pay much attention to or get exercised about it. There was no backlash from Hispanics before, during or after the state trial. They also are not vested in the founding principles of this country nor do they FULLY understand what true freedom from governmental tyranny is, so they simply don’t see what an abusive process this is and has been.
I am Hispanic.
I find your swiping generalization extremely offensive.
While I agree that SOME Hispanics have difficulty assimilating, there’s a large number of us that came here to find that “true freedom from governmental tyranny” that you claim we don’t understand.
There’s a large number of us that contribute to it too.
You know, not all of us go by Pancho or grow big mustaches.
Yeah, and there’s a LOT of history showing how wrong our little racist is in her “they” and “them” assumptions.
She might read the names inscribed on the monument outside the Alamo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alamo_defenders
I understand why you would find that comment offensive; however, you have to admit that the Hispanic vote is very liberal and progressive right now due to amnesty.
If you mean “Mexican” say Mexican. Even that is a dubious statement.
In polling of legal voters of Mexican extraction, amnesty is NOT all that important at all.
Plus, Cruz, Labradore, Martinez, and etc…
Is it also telling that they have only set aside one day in front of the Grand Jury. From what I have read civil rights cases are extremely complicated and require tons of evidence and testimony. So if they are just planning on one day and one witness, isn’t that kind of a sign that they are “mailing it in”?
I guess we know what Holder was talking about a month ago when he said in a speech that they had new evidence or something to that effect, they had Laffy Taffee and his Laffy Story!
That could be an unwarranted assumption. Just because it is not reported does not mean it has not happened/will not happen.
Holder can troop out battalions of academic “experts” on the order of those who appear on bsNBC constantly, who will swear to various falsehoods with extreme solemnity.
There is one thing though. Where is George going to find a lawyer?
But as I recall, Rachel Jeantel told Piers Morgan, on live TV no less, that Trayvon Martin told her during their cell phone conversation he was going to circle back to confront George Zimmerman to, quote, give him a whuppin’ , unquote. The studio audience knew what that meant and several of them audibly gasped. The TV cameras focused in on one woman, whose jaw dropped wide open when she heard that remark. Too bad Morgan didn’t follow up on the astonishing comment he had just heard.
It was obvious that she said something he did NOT expect or want to hear.
Morgan was too busy trying to understand how “cracker” means “gay security guard”, and how Trayvon was afraid of being raped by creepy George. Ask Toure; Morgan doesn’t understand Ebonics.
Transcript from P Morgan show: Said “Circle back around to whoop ass”, no never said that in court or any interview.
MORGAN: Because of the make-up of the jury? Do you think it was just wrong that you had no black people on the jury at all?
JEANTEL: No, not that. They don’t understand, they understand — he was just bashed or he was killed. When somebody bashes like blood people, trust me, the area I live, that’s not bashing. That’s just called whoop ass. You do that (INAUDIBLE). That’s what it is.
MORGAN: Would Trayvon, if he had been attacked or had been confronted, and he was scared, would he have whooped ass, as you put it? JEANTEL: Whoop ass.
MORGAN: Could he — would he have done that. Could he have done that?
JEANTEL: What?
MORGAN: Would he have defended himself if he’d been in that position?
JEANTEL: Yes, in my mind — well, in reality, Trayvon, before his death, he thought I was still on the phone. I could have called out for help or something. But I wasn’t on the phone. The struggle (INAUDIBLE) because Trayvon have an Android. If you click on the Android, that can end the call. And there was a struggle, so somebody had to be on top of Trayvon.
As Martha Stewart learned, lying to a Federal Officer is a Federal Felony. Defense counsel will have a field day. However, the District Court Judge assigned to the persecution will rule it inadmissible cross.
I really doubt that it will ever come to a trial.
And there’s no way in hell his prior statements would be inadmissible.
Impeachment is FUN…!!!
Rags, many years ago, I remember a Federal District Court Judge exclaiming “Don’t tell me what the law says — the law says what I say it says”. I was upset to see a senior partner treated in such a manner. But, technically the judge was correct – at least for his Courtroom. That judges dicta has stuck with me for over thirty years.
Zimmerman can only be retried in a kangaroo court. In such a court the rules of evidence that you and I are familiar with will be governed by that statement. No court of justice can retry this case.
I guess any of us who’ve ever spent any time in a court know the “black robe disease” drill too well. I recently tried a case before one of the rudest judges (a women) I’ve ever encountered. There was simply no possible excuse for her conduct.
But a judge isn’t apt to do stuff that is plain error. They play around the margins, if they’re apt to play. And denying the defense the opportunity to impeach someone on prior statements is WAY plain error. Especially, as it appears here, where you MIGHT have A guy who carries the whole burden for the prosecution.
Also, I know of no district where you’re going to get a hand-picked judge, since that would ALSO be outrageous error in a system where judges are randomly selected.
Maybe I retain a too high degree of faith in the legal system, but I have not been wrong so far WRT Zimmerman or Wilson and the working of due process.
I am a woman. I know what other woman are like… and yes, they are rude, dictatorial… and definitely lack sympathy…. I could go on and one. I am not surprised at all by your comments regarding a female judge.
BTW I watched Debbie very closely and she is not fit to be a judge.
Kabuki theater.
There is actually a second Frank Taaffe FBI interview in the Zimmerman discovery which I will try to link when I get to my office on Monday. In the second interview Taaffe further reveals how little he actually knows George. If i recall correctly Taaffe states he has never been to George’s house even though they live in the same neighborhood and he states a second time he has never discussed race with Zimmerman.
Per the Orlando Sentinel article Taaffe is scheduled to testify about a telephone conversation that allegedly occured days after the shooting. Is the Holder DOJ seriously going to hang their hats on what to me like textbook inadmissible hearsay.
This is all just smoke and mirrors. They know they aren’t gonna get an indictment on Wilson and they are trying to distract from that. They are also playing to the “black vote”, thinking this will inspire those who have decided not to turn out to vote, I don’t think it is gonna work, but stranger stuff has happened.
Most of the black folks I know think Zimmerman was within his rights to begin with, but most of them are also CCW holders like me.
It doesn’t come under hearsay if it is spoken by a party in the litigation. Even their agents’ communications are not hearsay.
Holder, the partisan sword of Obama, is doing one last political service and at the same time insulating himself from the dismissal of all charges by turning the case over to a grand jury. Ugly election politics, and misuse of office, nothing more.
The effort to lynch American Hero George Zimmerman continues.
I am George Zimmerman.
Keep saying “lynch” and you’ll keep the BGI in business.
Zimmerman is nobody’s idea of a “hero”. He’s just a moke who defended himself when he had to, and is a highly flawed human being.
Like the rest of us.
Let’s not get stupid.
I don’t think of it a truly heroic on the scale of military action or a fireman running into a burning building, but a guy who will get off his ass and patrol his neighborhood as it is falling apart rathet than bitching and blogging about it is a step up from 98% of the citizens.
As promised…. Frank Taaffe’s second FBI interview where he further reveals how little he actually knows George Zimmerman and for a second time tells the FBI he has never heard Zimmerman utter a single racist word
http://i.imgur.com/lLHfydJ.png
Great stuff, thanks! 🙂
A bit under the weather tonight, but I’ll look it over, maybe do a blog post tomorrow.
–Andrew, @LawSelfDefense
Looks like Frank Taaffe failed to appear http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-federal-grand-jury-20141105-story.html