Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility Opens Inquiry Into Black Panther Non-Prosecutions

It'll be a whitewash.

In the letter, Mary Patrice Brown, acting OPR counsel, told the veteran congressman from Texas that the office had "initiated an inquiry into the matter" and that it would "contact you with the results of our inquiry once it is completed." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Washington Times.

"I am pleased that someone at the Justice Department is finally taking the dismissal of the New Black Panther Party case seriously," Mr. Smith said Wednesday. "The Justice Department's decision to drop a case against political allies who allegedly intimidated voters on Election Day 2008 reeks of political interference."

Mr. Smith said the department's refusal to provide Congress with an explanation for the dismissal "only further raises concerns that political favoritism played a role in this case."

I do think it'll be a whitewash -- protect The One at all costs! -- but if this old WaPo article is to be believed (which it probably shouldn't be), there's some small amount of hope.

Holder promised lawmakers at his confirmation hearing this year that he would remove the taint of politics from the department's hiring practices and perform a "damage assessment" of its operations.

Yesterday he took a step in that direction, naming a longtime prosecutor to lead the Justice Department's internal ethics unit...

In making the appointments, Holder said his selection of career prosecutors with decades of experience, rather than political connections, was meant to underscore the importance of ethics and professionalism in the department.

He appointed Mary Patrice Brown, a well-respected career prosecutor in the District, the new leader of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which polices misconduct by department lawyers. Brown, who runs the criminal division at the U.S. attorney's office in the District, will become the third chief of the ethics unit since it was established in 1975 after the Watergate scandal.

A career prosecutor. She may be a bit sympathetic to the career prosecutors who were bigfooted by Holder on this.

This Is Not A Double-Post! This is an emphasis post, with additional information.

Completely different from a double post.

Anyone suggesting otherwise will be banned.

This is my new policy. Scorched-earth bannings. Ban like the wind.

posted by Ace at 01:42 PM

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