New York mayoral hopeful William Thompson on Monday defended his controversial tweet that George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin because of race, saying he was merely “stating the obvious.”“
Shortly after Mr. Zimmerman was found not guilty of all charges on Saturday night, Mr. Thompson, a Democrat, said to his 4,300 followers on Twitter: “Trayvon Martin was killed because he was black. There was no justice done today in Florida.”
“I don’t think it was an overstatement at all,” Mr. Thompson told the New York Daily News. “If you listened and looked at the trial, it was an unfortunate statement of fact.”
City Council Member Eric Ulrich disagreed, saying he would “expect this type of remark from [the Rev. Al Sharpton], not from you,” the Daily News reported.
A Quinnipiac poll released Monday showed Mr. Thompson in third place among black Democrats.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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