Something rotten in the Dept. of "Justice"

The sleazy, unethical, unjust and almost certainly unconstitutional acts of this federal government just keep piling up.

Here's the latest:

On July 22nd, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to President Obama demanding that he appoint a special counsel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Justice Department’s dismissal of the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case.

On July 28th, the chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Gerald Reynolds, sent Attorney General Holder a letter once again demanding the testimony of Christopher Coates. Coates, the former career chief of the Voting Section at the Civil Rights Division, had recommended that the lawsuit against the NBPP go forward. Reynolds had previously subpoenaed Coates to testify but the Attorney General barred Coates from testifying.

Now the seven GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have written Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the committee, demanding that an investigation be opened.

On July 29th, in a letter filled with factual and legal errors, Leahy denied this request.

The major issue here is Holder’s refusal to let Coates testify about what happened in the NBPP case. As Attorney General of the U.S., Holder is charged with enforcing the nation's laws. In letting his department drop a case in which individuals are alleged to have intimidated voters--both verbally and by brandishing a weapon within a ten or so feet of the door to a voting place--Holder has a clear conflict of interest.

The GOP senators wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. But the Dems quickly closed ranks and have prevented any independent investigation. We're left with Holder's assurance that no one in the DOJ directed that the case be dropped because the defendants were black--an assertion flatly contradicted by testimony of a former attorney in the Civil Rights division.

I have no idea who's telling the truth in this case. But I imagine most people would agree that the party seeking to block an independent investigation probably has something to hide.

Welcome to the New America.

And "Remember in November."