In the excitement over the Massachusetts Miracle, conservatives
should not lose sight of other issues that are gifts that can
keep on giving. On one of them, I dare say that we at the
Washington Times have provided a leadership role. And the White
House should be sweating. Yesterday, in a
comprehensive analysis, we show why the scandal of the
Obama/Holder Justice Department killing a voter intimidation case
against members of the New Black Panther Party may well
reach into the White House itself. Confirmation came the very
same day when Hans von Spakovsky of Heritage wrote at NRO that he
independently reached the
same basic conclusions.
To quote a key paragraph from Hans' excellent analysis,
Did White House officials order Perrelli to dismiss this case?
If so, which officials? These questions may help explain why
the Justice Department has refused to provide almost any
information about this case, despite clear law that it must
“cooperate fully” with the Commission on Civil Rights. The
department is even asserting privileges that do not exist in
response to the commission’s subpoenas, such as the need to
protect against disclosures that would “undermine its ability
to carry out its mission.”
The Washington Times' final paragraph says much the same thing:
In short, almost all of Mr. Perrelli's key White House meetings
coincide almost perfectly with key decisions and developments
in the New Black Panther Party case. Yet the Justice Department
continues to insist that there was no political interference
involved in the decision - despite the lengthy political ties
between New Black Panther Jerry Jackson and the Democratic
Party, the long-standing personal ties between the key Justice
Department officials and President Obama, and the
long-simmering ideological dispute within the Justice
Department about whether the department should indeed
aggressively fight for civil rights protections for white
voters, or just for minorities.
Again, these articles came out virtually simultaneously. The
analyses were done independently. And both suggest White House
involvement.
When Republicans are suspected of interfering in ongoing Justice
Department investigations, all hell breaks loose. When Republican
administrations claim all sorts of privileges against outside
investigations, all hell breaks loose. When Republican
administrations stiff the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, all
hell breaks loose. When Republican administrations stiff-arm
Congress, and aggregate power in the executive, and promote
secrecy over transparency, and are accused of abetting voter
intimidation, all hell breaks loose and loose and loose again.
When, therefore, is the establishment media going to pay
attention and unleash the hell that this case merits? And when
are Republican senators, or the GOP leadership specifically in
both congressional chambers, going to go before the cameras and
make this the big issue it should be? When is some brave soul at
the White House press briefing going to ask about it, on camera?
This isn't about some "gotcha" scandal, it's about policy. Simply
put, do civil rights laws protect everybody, or do they just
affect minorities? And does transparency apply to all
governments, or just to Republican ones? And does politicization
of the Justice Department only become a sin when conservatives
(allegedly) do it, or is it a sin when radical liberals do it far
more flagrantly?
Indiana Alex| 1.20.10 @ 12:28PM
I won't hold my breath on the establishment media.