Why federal prosecutors are waiting on the Garner case
Colby Hamilton
On Thursday afternoon, the Rev. Al Sharpton will meet in Brooklyn with Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, in an effort to convince federal prosecutors to intervene in the case of Eric Garner, who died last month on Staten Island while being arrested by police.
The meeting, which also includes Garner's family, follows a meeting Sharpton had with prosecutors in Lynch's office last month, and a call for federal involvement that was joined by six members of the state's congressional delegation, who sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the justice department to begin an immediate investigation.
Meanwhile, though, the local investigation into Garner's death continues: Staten Island district attorney Daniel Donovan announced on Tuesday that he had impaneled a grand jury to begin hearing evidence in the case (shortly before Sharpton plans a massive march from the site of Garner's death to Donovan's office).
So what's the likelihood of federal involvement while Donovan's investigation is still underway?
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