Tomorrow Is D-Day For AG Eric Holder and The New Black Panther Party

After Twenty-two months and countless accusations, by this time time tomorrow the case of the election day voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party will be over or will be so huge that even the mainstream media will not be able to ignore it.  Christopher Coates, former chief of the Justice Department’s Voting Section, and still a DOJ employee is set to defy his bosses orders and testify before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to answer allegations that the dropping of the New Black Panther case was part of the Obama administration's policy of not enforcing civil rights laws in a race-neutral manner.

For almost a year the U.S Commission of Civil Rights has been trying to get to the bottom of the DOJ's dropping the already won case against the New Black Panthers for voter intimidation. The Commission sent subpoenas to the DOJ, but the Justice Department decided to ignore the subpoena and it seemed the cover up was complete

The investigation has generated some new momentum after J. Christian Adams, one of the lawyers who helped file the case against the Panthers resigned from the Justice Department so he could testify. In July, Adams testified before the Commission giving blockbuster testimony that went way beyond the Black Panther case, he said that the DOJ policy was to enforce the law when African-Americans were the victims, but not when Caucasians were intimidated from voting.

Throughout his testimony, Adams claimed that Christopher Coates would not only be able to back up his claims but expand them. As head of the voting rights section Coats had more information than Adams.  There was only one problem, Coats was still on the DOJ payroll and forbidden to testify by the Stedman Graham Eric Holder led DOJ, although he no longer headed the Voting Rights section. According to Adams,Coates got so angry at  one of the Obama political appointees, Steve Rosenbaum, for making the decision to drop the Panther case without even reading the case file, he threw the file at him. For the file toss, Coates was stripped of his responsibility and transferred to South Carolina.

Immediatly after Adams testimony Chairman of the U.S.Commission on Civil Rights  Gerald Reynolds, sent the DOJ a letter once again demanding that Mr. Coats be allowed to testify.

Given the extraordinary testimony of Mr. Adams, we request that the Department reconsider its unwillingness to allow Mr. Coates to testify before the Commission. Mr. Coates’ testimony is vital to our investigation because he is in the best position to corroborate, deny, or provide additional information regarding the matters described by Mr. Adams. As far back as November 2009, the Commission served a subpoena on Mr. Coates, who in his capacity as former Chief of the Voting Section and member of the New Black Panther Party trial team, appears to be a primary witness on the matters addressed by our investigation. In fact, the Department has previously allowed Mr. Coates to appear before the Commission in June 2008 regarding the Department’s enforcement of laws against voter intimidation and voter fraud. We renew our request that the Department cooperate with the Commission’s lawful subpoena and make Mr. Coates available to testify. Please contact our General Counsel, David Blackwood, as to Mr. Coates’ availability by July 21, 2010.

That letter was met with a negative response.  But apparently Coates is sick and tired of the misinformation swirling around the case and has offered to defy management and testify under oath tomorrow.  Hopefully he will clear up whether the DOJ discriminated against white voters in dismissing the voter-intimidation case against two members of the New Black Panther Party, had a general policy or practice in its Civil Rights Division of not enforcing voting laws when the subjects of complaints were racial minorities and had racially motivated policy of not enforcing the part of the National Voting Rights Act, which requires states to remove ineligible voters from the voter rolls. In other words, will he back up the charges of J. Christian Adams.

Immediately after Adams testified, the liberal smear machine attacked, and demonized Adams as as a “disgruntled” employee (even though he was promoted just before he resigned). We don't know for sure if Coates will back up or refute Adams.  Although one indication of how the left expects him to testify is that Media Matters is attacking Coates today the day before he takes the stand.

Coates' star rose during the Bush administration, during which he was promoted to principal deputy section chief. While not mentioned by name, Coates has been identified by several current and former Justice Department officials as the anonymous Voting Section lawyer, referred to in the joint Inspector General/Office of Professional Responsibility report, that Schlozman recommended for an immigration judge position. Immigration judges have jurisdiction over whether or not foreign nationals are deported. In his letter to Monica Goodling, a former senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who was implicated in the scandal involving politicized hiring, Schlozman wrote of Coates:

Don't be dissuaded by his ACLU work on voting matters from years ago. This is a very different man, and particularly on immigration issues, he is a true member of the team. [The American Prospect, 1/8/10]

I suspect that Media Matters is correct in the fact that Coates will back up Adams and lay out the case that the Department of Justice under President Obama and AG Graham  Holder has a perverted conception of equal rights, "some are more equal than other." After all the former head of the voting rights section is risking his job and career at the Justice Department to testify. Generally one doesn't ignore management's order to ignore a subpoena just to back up management.

Either way, tomorrow is D-Day for the Department of Justice, Attorney General Holder, and President Obama. By the end of the day they will either be cleared, or branded as racist.

Pajamas Media has reported Rep.  Frank Wolf (R-VA) has sent a warning to Attorney General Eric Holder not to interfere with the decision of Christopher Coates to testify before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights tomorrow, citing the federal “1912 Anti-Gag Legislation and Whistleblower Protection Laws for Federal Employees.”

 

Time to buy some popcorn...this is going to going to be fun.  Check in tomorrow for a report on Mr. Coates testimony.