Today, in the twilight of his career, former Voting Section Chief Christopher Coates, defying DOJ instructions, heroically stood up for truth and justice, against the lies, corruption and racial bias that infests the Obama/Holder Justice Dept.
In what J Christian Adams, reporting for Pajamas Media, calls the end of “a very bad week” for the Holder/Obama Justice Dept and its apologists, Coates testified to the United States Civil Rights Commission that “Obama political appointees dismissed the case because they are opposed to enforcing civil rights laws in a racially neutral fashion”.
And that was just the beginning.
In a dramatic hearing in Washington, D.C., Coates simply destroyed the year-long spin from the Justice Department regarding the dismissal. Coates is the former Voting Section chief, and served as lead attorney on the Black Panther case. He has practiced voting rights law longer than any other lawyer at the Justice Department. His testimony today was the worst possible nightmare for the Obama political officials responsible for the dismissal.
I testified before the Commission in July that Obama political appointee Julie Fernandes made it clear that the Voting Section at the Justice Department would not be bringing any more cases against traditional national racial minorities, like the members of the New Black Panthers. Under oath, Coates corroborated my testimony.
The public has been wondering for over a year why the case was dismissed. Coates testified why today.
[There is a] deep-seated opposition to the race-neutral enforcement of the Voting Rights Act against racial minorities and for the protection of whites who have been discriminated against.
Coates verified that the DOJ is infested with racially motivated hostility towards equal enforcement of the law. Like me, Coates testified about the history of open and pervasive hostility inside the Voting Section to protecting the rights of white voters. This hostility first emerged in the case against Ike Brown in Noxubee County, Mississippi, going back as far as 2004:
The opposition within the Voting Section to taking actions on behalf of white voters in Noxubee County, Mississippi, … was widespread.
Coates confirmed that senior managers didn’t even want to open the investigation into discrimination against white voters in Noxubee County:
The Deputy Chief who was leading that election coverage asked me: “can you believe that we are going to Mississippi to protect white voters?”
Coates described how his memoranda were doctored by former Voting Section Chief Joe Rich, confirming my testimony as well as an article that appeared here at PJM this week.
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It is disingenuous for some in the media to ignore this spiraling scandal. It will be even harder for critics like Commissioner Abigail Thernstrom to ignore testimony like we heard today. Today offers reasonable people like Thernstrom a chance at a redeeming reversal of course. Coates said:
The final disposition of the NBPP case, even in the face of a default by the defendants, was caused by this incorrect view of civil rights enforcement, and it was intended to send a direct message to people inside and outside the Civil Rights Division. That message is that the filing of voting cases like the Ike Brown and the NBPP cases would not continue in the Obama administration. The disposition of the NBPP case was not required by the facts developed during the case or the applicable law, as has been claimed, but was because of this incorrect view of civil rights enforcement that is at war with the statutory language in the VRA and with racially fair enforcement of federal law.
Overall, Coates painted a picture of racially motivated lawlessness inside the Department of Justice. I testified about the same circumstances, and there are many others who could provide sworn accounts of the same racially corrupt state of affairs.
America has only heard from two of us, but there are many more who know the truth.
Coates is now taking questions from members of the commission.
LIVE: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights New Black Panther Party Testimony, here.
Read Adams’ full report, here.
Coates’ damning testimony can be read, here.
Does Commission member, Abigail Thernstrom still think this whole thing is “very small potatoes”? So far she’s been yielding her questions.
Here’s some background info on San Francisco attorney, Michael Yaki, who has been the most contentious and critical commission member during these proceedings. Among other things, he’s a former District Director and a senior adviser for Nancy Pelosi.
PJ TV interviewing Hans von Spakovsky: “The Potemkin village of the civil rights division was just torn down by Chris Coates.”
Von Spakovsky called Yaki’s attempts to call Coates’ integrity into question, “pathetic”.
Todd F. Gaziano, the Congressional appointee to the Commission, being interviewed by PJTV says he found much of the testimony to be “shocking”.
J Christian Adams calls the DOJ policy of opposition to the race-neutral enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, “evil and unconstitutional”.
MORE:
Verum Serum: Bombshell: Obama DOJ Enabling Voter Registration Fraud?
More from Coates’ testimony:
That means that we have entered the 2010 election cycle with eight states appearing to be in major noncompliance with the list maintenance requirements of Section 8 of the NVRA, and yet the Voting Section which has the responsibility to enforce that law has yet to take any action. From these circumstances I believe that Ms. Fernandez’s statement to the Voting Section in November 2009 not, in effect, initiate Section 8 list maintenance enforcement activities has been complied with.
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Further, not to enforce the list maintenance provisions of Section 8 are likely to have partisan consequences as well. A number of the jurisdictions that have bloated registration lists are where there are sizable minority populations and are Democratic strongholds.
Michelle Malkin asked this question on Sept 7: Voter rolls: We see dead people. Does the DOJ?
The Obamacrats have every intention of engaging in voter fraud. What can be done to stop it?
See also:
Powerline: Christopher Coates takes the stand
Coates’s testimony is a bombshell. It exposes a couple of Obama administration scandals at once. One involves the Obama administration’s attempt to cover up the rationale for burying the case against the NBPP. The other involves the Obama administration’s support for the racially based administration of justice.
Hot Air: Coates: Obama appointee told me to stop pursuing race-neutral enforcement of Voting Rights Act
AoSHQ: Coates’ Testimony: Yes, The Civil Rights Division Now Has An Explicit Policy Of Not Protecting White Voters
Michelle Malkin: Culture of corruption: New Black Panther Party voter intimidation hearing live at 10am Friday; Updated: “Culture of hostility” at Holder DOJ
Instapundit:
DISTRACTION: So, yesterday reader John Mark Williams suggested that the Colbert testimony was intended to distract from coverage of Christopher Coates’ testimony about the Justice Department’s racism scandals. If so, it’s worked. Front page of Daily Caller: Colbert. Drudge led with Colbert until the news of the Klein & Zucker firings came out. Limbaugh led off today talking about Colbert. NRO has covered Colbert at The Corner, but not Coates. Washington Examiner headline: Colbert. Looking around other sites, I see more about Colbert than Coates. Hot Air and Power Line did better.
John Nolte at Big Hollywood: Stephen Colbert: Dem’s Trained Clown Trotted Out to Distract From Obama DOJ Scandal
Personally, I completely agree with Glenn Reynolds that having this idiot Colbert testify was nothing more than a Democrat stunt to take the media’s eye off the very real and important testimony also taking place today regarding the Justice Department’s racism scandals. So the more cringe-worthy and embarrassing Colbert’s appearance is, the better. Naturally, the MSM will be all too willing to play along. They fully understand how damaging the DOJ Black Panther case is to the Obama Administration and have no desire to come anywhere near covering it.
And of course, there’s Stephen Colbert, just as willing to play along — a narcissistic attention whore with no respect for the political process who thinks his schtick combined with a ten hour day he spent in the vegetable fields somehow makes him a compelling and important witness.
Oh, wow…I had forgotten about this – Andrew Breitbart reminds: Which Malik Shabazz Visited The White House In July 2009, Mr. President?
- July 8, Representative Frank Wolf sent a letter to Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar Smith demanding hearings before the House Judiciary Committee.
- July 9, Ten members of the House sent a letter demanding the DOJ Inspector General open an investigation.
- July 13, The Dept. of Justice replied but their letter contained factual inaccuracies about the case
- July 17 Smith and Wolf send a swift and pointed rebuttal
- July 20, Low-level DOJ staffers were sent to the Hill to brief Wolf on the Panther story, but Wolf threw them out of his office claiming they weren’t being truthful to him.
- July 22, Wolf sent another letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding answers.
- July 24, Portia Robinson, intergovernmental liaison at DOJ, sent a letter to the Civil Rights Commission trying to deflect attention.
- July 25, a man named Malik Shabazz visited the exclusive, private residence in the White House.
- July 30, the Washington Times broke the news that top political appointee, Tom Perrelli (the #3 official at Justice) was involved in the dismissal of the case. Perrelli was also a top campaign bundler for Obama.
The White House has assured the American people that the Malik Shabazz that visited the White House at that time is not the same Malik Shabazz at the center of the New Black Panther story. But, the White House has not provided any information to verify its contention or who this “other” Malik Shabazz is.
Linked by Michelle Malkin in Buzzworthy, thanks!
Nice Deb 