Fox News host Gregg Jarrett falsely claimed that “Stand Your Ground had nothing whatsoever to do in the [George] Zimmerman case” as a means to attack July 19 remarks made by President Obama on the controversy surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman's subsequent acquittal. Despite convincing evidence that Stand Your Ground was influential in the trial's outcome, Jarrett said that Obama was either “oblivious” or “simply trying to bring on more acrimony over a controversial subject” by discussing the law.

From the July 19 edition of America Live:

Jarrett's claim that Stand Your Ground (also called “Shoot First” or “Kill at Will”) had no bearing on the Zimmerman case is contradicted by the statements of a Zimmerman juror who said the law, in part, provided a legal justification for Zimmerman's actions. The juror's statement was no surprise, as the text of Stand Your Ground was included in instructions to the jury explaining Zimmerman's possible defenses.

Jarrett's false claim about Stand Your Ground is the latest statement in a concerted effort on the part of Fox News hosts and contributors to deny the role of the controversial law in Zimmerman's acquittal. As of July 18, at least 16 of the network's employees* had engaged in falsehoods about Stand Your Ground.

In his remarks, Obama discussed race in America and also called for the examination of Stand Your Ground laws to determine whether such laws “encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case, rather than diffuse potential altercations.”

* This post has been edited for clarity.