Holder Criticizes ‘Selective’ Leaks In Ferguson Shooting Investigation

President Barack Obama meets with Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, during their meeting in the Oval Office at the White H... President Barack Obama meets with Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, during their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) MORE LESS
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Attorney General Eric Holder was critical on Monday of “the selective release of sensitive information” from the local investigation of the Ferguson, Mo. police shooting of Michael Brown.

“The selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me,” Holder said in a statement.

Local police have been criticized for releasing certain pieces of information following the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Brown by a Ferguson police officer. The Justice Department reportedly opposed the release of the police report on a robbery that Brown allegedly committed minutes before he was shot. The Brown family accused the police of “character assassination.”

On Monday, an anonymous source leaked to the Washington Post that Brown had marijuana in his system at the time of his death.

“I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown’s death, but I ask for the public’s patience as we conduct this investigation,” Holder said. “No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation. This is a critical step in restoring trust between law enforcement and the community, not just in Ferguson, but beyond.”

Holder also said that the Justice Department was performing its own autopsy Monday, conducted by “one of the most experienced medical examiners in the United States military.” Holder also confirmed that he would travel to Ferguson Wednesday.

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Notable Replies

  1. We hear, once again, from one of the few adults in the room.

  2. I wonder if Holder can bring obstruction of justice charges against the Ferguson PD, and, in particular, the chief of police that released the video?

  3. Who is OBVIOUSLY biased because Obama IRS #Benghazi!

    Oh, and Holder’s also from “the same continental region” as Brown, so he should be impeached ASAP – as God intended!

  4. I don’t think that the FPD obstructed justice with the release. They would have obstructed justice if they didn’t provide that video to the prosecutors.

  5. There is a difference between releasing evidence to the prosecutor and selectively releasing evidence to the media - as far as I know, they’ve somehow managed to not release the incident report for the shooting to the public, but they released the incident report for the robbery.

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