George Zimmerman, the onetime neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, is suing Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg for $265 million, claiming both 2020 Democratic presidential candidates defamed him in an attempt to "garner votes in the black community."
The lawsuit filed in Polk County, Fla., Tuesday argues Warren and Buttigieg’s two separate tweets on Feb. 5, which would have been Martin’s 25th birthday, used the killing “as a pretext to demagogue and falsely brand Zimmerman as a white supremacist and racist to their millions of Twitter followers.”
What Happened to George Zimmerman? Acquitted Shooter Now $2.5 Million in Debt
George Zimmerman is reportedly in $2.5 million debt and has no income, according to filed documents that show his finances.
The Orlando Sentinel reported on Thursday that a court allowed public defender Blaise Trettis to represent Zimmerman in his misdemeanor stalking case after the paperwork filed at Seminole County proved his financial troubles.
Zimmerman is accused of misdemeanor stalking after sending intimidating messages to a private investigator Dennis Warren from December 16 to December 25 last year. Sheriff deputies told WKMG that Zimmerman called Warren a total of 55 times and left 36 voicemails. Warren also received 67 text messages and 27 emails over the course of nine days, WKMG reported. Warren's request for a restraining order was denied earlier this month by a judge, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Warren had contacted Zimmerman about a documentary series on Trayvon Martin, which was produced by rapper Jay-Z. In 2012, Zimmerman shot and killed Martin in Sanford, Florida, and had said he shot the 17-year-old out of self-defense during his trial. He was acquitted on a murder charge.
Zimmerman had previously accused the executive producer of the documentary, Michael Gasparro, of harassing him and his family during an interview with The Blast in December.
"I know how to handle people who [f--k] with me. I have since February 2012," Zimmerman told the publication. "Anyone who [f--ks] with my parents will be fed to an alligator."
Zimmerman has a long list of legal issues since Martin was killed six years ago. In 2016, Zimmerman attempted to sell the gun he used to shoot Martin on the website GunBroker.com. The auction of the weapon was canceled by the website.
"This is a piece of American history," Zimmerman reportedly wrote on the website.
In 2015, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon after he allegedly threw a wine bottle at his girlfriend. The victim recanted her statement and the charges were not filed.
Zimmerman's ex-wife, Shellie Zimmerman, had also admitted that Zimmerman allegedly punched her father and threatened to kill her family.
"He is in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, 'Step closer.' He is just threatening all of us," she said during a 911 call shortly after the two divorced in 2013.
Bloomberg Said Young People Support Bernie Because They're Dumb
“Because our kids no longer learn civics in school they longer study Western history, they no longer read Western literature.”
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a surprising theory about why young people love Sen. Bernie Sanders: They’re morons.
In a wide-ranging interview one month after President Donald Trump won the 2016 election, Bloomberg said Sanders would have won that race if he had gotten the Democratic nomination in large part because young people have no idea what they’re doing.
“I don’t mean to knock young people — I wish I was one again — but young people listened to [Bernie Sanders] and they said, ‘Yeah, Democratic: That’s good. Socialism: Yeah, that’s that social media stuff,’” Bloomberg opined. “Because our kids no longer learn civics in school they longer study Western history, they no longer read Western literature.”
“We are trying to change and dumb down the system and if you don't know what happened in the past you're going to have to relive it,” he continued.
The comments were delivered in December 2016 in front of a college audience at Oxford University’s Saïd School of Business. The school posted the entire discussion on YouTube.
Bloomberg was responding to a young woman, who asked whether Bloomberg agrees that lack of communication or socialization between the upper and lower classes led to breakdowns in society and the election of Trump or Brexit.
Bloomberg answered, unprompted, that social grouping has less to do with race and gender than it does with class, because people of the same class generally care about the interest of that class. Widening wealth gaps, however, do lead to gaps in understanding, he seemed to say.
“Look at a mirror if you want to see why society is the way it is,” he told the Oxford audience. “We're the ones that didn't see Brexit coming, not the people in the rest of the country. We're the ones that didn't think that Donald Trump had a chance; I don't know anybody that thought Donald Trump had a chance.”
But he added that lack of education among the lower classes is equally to blame.
“The solution to our problems is more open borders not closed borders. The solution to our problems is to improve education, not to try to penalize people because they are successful,” he said. “If you don't have successful people you're never going to have the wherewithal to support to help those who are not. We've tried socialism, it doesn't work.”
He then launched into the above-mentioned rant about young people supporting Sanders, before concluding that centrists are necessary to moderate the impulses of “extremists” on both sides of the political spectrum.
“It's very dangerous, the world we're going into,” he said. “You see both the left and the right coming up here, and the middle is getting unfortunately not listened to anymore and it's the extremists that are going to shape the political culture if we're not careful going forward.”
“And we've had extremism before, particularly on this continent, and it didn't work out very well,” he concluded.
Asked if Bloomberg still stands by those 2016 comments, spokesman Stu Loeser responded with another attack on Sanders: "The Bernie who ran in 2016 called himself a truth teller. Even Bernie wouldn't honestly say that about himself anymore — let alone his allies."
I took all those classes in high school and I like Bernie. College educated people like Bernie. Many others my age and older like Bernie... I think he is just saying you are dumb if you like Bernie.
man homeboy is about to get blasted from everybody tonight.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Mike Bloomberg's campaign is sounding the alarm that Bernie Sanders will soon amass an unsurmountable delegate lead if the Democratic field stays split — and took the extraordinary step of suggesting laggards should drop out.
What they're saying: Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's top strategist, said: "The fact is if the state of this race remains status quo — with Biden, Pete and Amy in the race on Super Tuesday — Bernie is likely to open up a delegate lead that seems nearly impossible to overcome."
"I don’t think many people understand the dire circumstances here." Why it matters: Based on every national poll, plus steady access to money, Sanders is the indisputable — if underappreciated — frontrunner.
The Bloomberg campaign got high-profile validation of its theory:
David Plouffe, Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager, tweeted in response to Nate Silver's delegate projections through Super Tuesday — which show Sanders with 41%, followed by Bloomberg and Joe Biden with 18% each. "If this happens, Sanders would have a pledged delegate lead he’ll never relinquish." In a "State of the Race" memo to Bloomberg gurus Sheekey and Howard Wolfson, senior adviser Mitch Stewart and states director Dan Kanninen argue:
"If Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar remain in the race despite having no path to appreciably collecting delegates on Super Tuesday (and beyond), they will propel Sanders to a seemingly insurmountable delegate lead by siphoning votes away from [Bloomberg]."
Mysterious group protests Dem debate by unleashing pigeons wearing MAGA hats
An anonymous group claimed it was behind the release of pigeons over the city of Las Vegas that are wearing MAGA hats and -- in at least one case -- a wig that resembles President Trump's hair.
The group, calling itself Pigeons United To Interfere Now, or P.U.T.I.N., called it an "aerial protest" of Wednesday night's Democratic debate.
BAM! Warren comes out dropping bombs on Bloomberg with a quick follow up by Klobuchar. Bloomberg went after Bernie, Pete went after Bernie and Bloomberg. Biden just beat his own drum. Bernie slap Pete back...
why does biden always come off so aggressive. jesus dude stop yelling.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
bro why is this clown up here? we really got qa billionaire with his own media outlet running for president.
our political system is so freaking trash.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Bloomberg sounds unprepared. He's letting attacks go unanswered. He stumbled on medical. He thinks he's entitled to the nomination, you can tell by the way he talks.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Bloomberg sounds unprepared. He's letting attacks go unanswered. He stumbled on medical. He thinks he's entitled to the nomination, you can tell by the way he talks.
yes warren, yes. trash this dude. fake ass apology. only apologized when he started running for president.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Bloomberg sounds unprepared. He's letting attacks go unanswered. He stumbled on medical. He thinks he's entitled to the nomination, you can tell by the way he talks.
Agree he comes across totally unprepared
That's what happens when you buy your way into an election.
bernie is in a tough crowd in enemy territory. MSNBC allowing the attacks.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
thankfully i gotta give msnbc this. they are set up massive ambushes on Bloomberg. this tax question they just ask is a trap lmfao. bout to get got.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Warren is nailing bloomberg. man oh man bloomberg doesnt want this smoke.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Klobuchar is done. the fact that she react like that to Pete's counter is.....man you can't act like that. she's lashing out over a legitimate criticism.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Klobuchar is done. the fact that she react like that to Pete's counter is.....man you can't act like that. she's lashing out over a legitimate criticism.
