Video: Public campaign launched to defend Zimmerman

>> the attorney along with friends say they've known for ten years who spoke out on the "today" show this morning.

>> george zimmerman suffered a broken nose , injuries to the back of his head and signs of a scuffle, a grass stain on the back of his shirt.

>> george was acting as a neighborhood watch captain in a neighborhood that had been violated by a number of crimes. and that's why he was watching and saw someone that he didn't recognize.

>> with me now from miami, kendall coffey, u.s. attorney for the state of florida. thank you for joining us again. let me talk to you about some of the developments here regarding, let's start with the photograph. the first photograph as you well know of mr. zimmerman was 2005 when he was accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer . we now have a picture of him. i believe it is a work i.d. smiling very different there. tell me about the strategy you think is happening there.

>> obviously, zimmerman has been getting pounded in the court of public opinion so his attorney, perhaps, very appropriate way. if you're the defendants lawyer, you're trying to level the playing field . and the defense is mounting a counter campaign and he is doing it without having his client go anywhere near reporters or the tv camera . really good idea. so the lawyer is getting out there, talking about some of the details which include, according to him that zimmerman had a broken nose . that his head was gashed. he's also got a surrogate, not george himself, but that he is a good guy. it is not enough to change nick's mind but it may start to change the conversation a little bit so at least from zimmerman 's standpoint, people understand, there are some alleged facts on the other side.

>> let me ask you this. and i'm sure you do not know the answer but we both have eyes. we can see the friend that was presented is a person of color . obviously, race is a big part of this investigation. the friend saying on the "today" show that george zimmerman in his opinion is not a racist. would not act in that way based on race. is it a coincidence here that the friend is a person of color ? that the attorney has presented here for the public opinion ?

>> of course not. that's part of the strategy that the defense lawyer is launching, to try to say that zimmerman is not a racist. look at this friend of his. and meanwhile, there are other reports going on, news reports saying that there could have been an eyewitness. if there was an eyewitness that backs up zimmerman 's account, then that becomes much more significant, frankly, than what zimmerman 's friend looks like or what his lawyer has to say.

>> let me ask you, the eyewitness is an anonymous eyewitness here. if the police office order duty who shows up at this scene is taking this report or even later on, if this person then came to the police station , how unusual is it that the person would be anonymous in the police report .

>> i'm mystified as to why you would keep a witness's identification concealed at this point. and i'm also surprised that this came out a month after the shooting. one way or another, the reality will be that the special prosecutor appointed this case. forget what i'm saying on tv. certainly what zimmerman 's lawyers are saying. talk to that eyewitness, whoever he or she may be. that could be the key to whether george zimmerman faces serious charges.

>> we're also hearing new reports about what zimmerman 's attorney says that he was told happen. he said that zimmerman got out of the suv to follow trayvon on foot when a dispatch employee asked zimmerman if he was following the 17-year-old, which we know. he was told he didn't need to do. that we're told zimmerman turned around. he lost sight somehow of trayvon martin. he was back to his suv. he claims that he was approached from the left rear and then they exchanged words. and this is when he says, trayvon martin punched him and he had a broken nose . we should also note, he did not get medical day. now if these injuries were as serious as a broken nose , which if anybody has had one, they know that's not a walk in the park. would you as an attorney inquire as to why, a, we're just hearing this, and b, why did not he get medical attention ? this all started with the allegation of just wet t-shirt on the back. some kind of grass on his back.

>> plebnty of questions. there is a gap where we know that zimmerman was pursuing trayvon martin. then all of a sudden imaginally, zimmerman is the one being pursued. i'm very, very kept cal about that and it is very critical as to whether a successful self-defense will be presented someday if charges are brought to know who initiated the confrontation. who was really the aggressor here?

>> let me ask you real quick. i have to get your reaction to a new report that trayvon martin had been suspended from school after an empty bag of marijuana, which again, if it's empty, how do you know it's marijuana? we'll work to get more details on this. this empty bag. this school has zero tolerance . this again 30 days later is coming to light. his parents confirm he was suspended. what do you make of this? is this again a part of the attorney for mr. zimmerman or is this just digging into the background of trayvon martin? what's happening here?

>> whoever it is coming from, it completely irrelevant and the classic example of trying to put the alleged victim on trial. it is much more significant to look at what we've been seeing and reading about the background of zimmerman . not the least of which is the 2005 arrest for battery and resisting arrest of a law enforcement officer .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46859128/

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