General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: ThinkProgress: How One Woman Could Hit The Reset Button In The Case Against Darren Wilson [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)The White House and DOJ were invested in the Ferguson matter early on, including the visit from Holder. The lack of a state indictment from a Democratic prosecutor, supported by a Democratic governor, senator and state Attorney General, no less the rioting, has been very embarrassing for the president, demonstrates weakness on racial issues and hurts him with the party base.
A federal indictment would certainly take some heat off Obama. The fact that leaks indicated that no federal prosecution was likely even before the grand jury result, at least to me, indicates how badly the DOJ thinks of the evidence in their possession. They may believe a civil rights crime was committed, and would normally be eager to prosecute, but good intentions are not a substitute for admissible evidence.