GOP Senators Seek Black Panther Hearing
Politico reports that seven Republican senators want the judiciary committee to hold hearings the Black Panther voter intimidation case which is rapidly becoming a popular cause within movement conservative circles:
All seven Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have written to committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to seek a hearing examining allegations of politicization at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
The letter, sent Friday and released to reporters Monday, repeats allegations made by former Civil Rights Division attorney Christian Adams that political appointees in the department improperly cut short legal action against New Black Panther Party members who allegedly sought to intimidate voters in Philadelphia in 2008.
"If these alarming allegations are true, the Civil Rights Division is actively engaged in widespread politicization and possible corruption," the seven GOP-ers wrote. "This committee has an obligation to investigate such serious allegations that strike at the heart of the department's integrity. ... It is imperative that you schedule a hearing immediately."
A spokesperson said Leahy has been in Vermont since Thursday and will likely respond to the letter when he returns to Washington. However, a Democratic aide noted that the Justice Department official who heads the Civil Rights Division, Tom Perez, testified before the committee in April and answered questions about the Panther affair. Department leaders have denied any improper motivation.
"Regardless of which party has occupied the White House, as chairman, Sen. Leahy has sought to conduct oversight of the department of Justice — the oversight hearing in April with Assistant Attorney General Perez and the oversight hearing with the Attorney General in June are just two of the most recent examples, and I would expect those oversight hearings to continue in the future," said the aide, who asked not to be named.
POLITICO's Ben Smith reported last week that a Republican appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Abigail Thernstrom, has described the case as the focus of "fantasies" of GOP stalwarts who are convinced that it is a vehicle to bring down President Barack Obama.
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