Suppose that everything you thought about the circumstances leading up to untimely death of Ferguson, Mo., resident Michael Brown turned out to be wrong. Imagine, for example, that the infamous story of the “gentle giant” roughing up a store owner, then walking out with cigarillos he never paid for was part of a vast right-wing conspiracy to besmirch Brown’s character.
That’s what CNN would have you believe. To which end, the least reliable name in cable news released new footage this morning showing that Brown’s behavior in the convenience store was quite civilized. The footage (below) shows Brown standing at the counter of the store and handing the clerk a quantity of marijuana in exchange for the smokes. (OK, yes, that’s a crime, too, but not even CNN can make this galoot look like a boy scout.)
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
So, is the network justified in its claim that evidence that could have made a difference in the case was suppressed?
Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit has a theory on that question. The new video, he maintains, differs in important respects from the one circulated two and a half years ago. In it, for example, the opening shot of the parking lot appears to have been recorded at night. But Brown’s strong arm robbery and subsequent fatal run-in with law enforcement occurred during daylight hours.
Notice also that in the new footage, Brown appears wearing a backpack. In the original footage and stills from it, he is not:
Hoft’s explanation is that this new video was shot on a previous occasion.
