Panel Urges Federal Probe Following 'Grave' Testimony in Black Panther Case

[FoxNews]

[release]The commission probing allegations that the Justice Department wrongly abandoned a case against the New Black Panther Party has formally called for a federal investigation into claims that the department's Civil Rights Division will not pursue black defendants.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, the chairman of the bipartisan commission said testimony last week from an ex-Justice official raised "grave questions" about whether the division is "color blind" in its enforcement of the law.

"This testimony raised serious concerns as to whether the Civil Rights Division's enforcement policies are being pursued in a race-neutral fashion and further calls into question the department's decision to change course in the New Black Panther Party litigation," Chairman Gerald Reynolds wrote.

Former Justice attorney J. Christian Adams testified last week before the commission that his former employer not only abandoned the Black Panther voter intimidation case for racial reasons, but had instructed attorneys in the division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims.

Perez told the panel in May to bring any such claims "to our attention" if there's evidence -- Reynolds wrote Wednesday that in light of the testimony, the Justice Department should follow up.

Reynolds also voiced concern about the Justice Department's "intransigence" in providing witnesses to testify and urged the department to allow former voting section chief Christopher Coates to appear before the panel. Adams repeatedly said last week that Coates' testimony would be critical to the investigation.

The probe stems from an incident on Election Day in 2008 in Philadelphia, where members of the New Black Panther Party were videotaped in front of a polling place dressed in military-style uniforms and allegedly hurling racial slurs while one brandished a night stick.

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[url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/14/civil-rights-panel-urges-federal-probe-following-testimony-black-panther-case/]Fox News[/url]

[Xen Tricks]

So, are you gonna like, stop posting or get perma'd any time soon? This is getting old

[wewt!]

I think it's a bot

[Jad Hinto]

And yet again, more biased, useless news from Fox News.

[Elecbullet]

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Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]

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[Pepin]

[QUOTE=Jad Hinto;23384173]And yet again, more biased, useless news from Fox News.[/QUOTE]

Wait, I don't understand, is it perfectly right for the Black Panther members to do that on voting day? I don't feel as though it is, but I don't believe that they were doing anything too drastic to alter people's ability to vote.

[PrismatexV8]

Why is it that Fox is the only outlet covering this story? Oh yeah, it's completely bullshit.