Smith and Wolf Press for Results on New Black Panther Investigation

Press Release

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting information regarding the status of the Justice Department's inquiry into the sudden dismissal of voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party.

Ranking Member Smith and Congressman Wolf expressed concern that the Justice Department is using the investigation as a means to continue stonewalling Congress in this matter. After three months of investigating, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has yet to provide Congress with a clear explanation for why the Civil Rights Division dismissed the complaint.

According to Ranking Member Smith and Representative Wolf, "Congress and the American people must have confidence that the Department's Voting Rights Act enforcement is free of improper political motives … it is important for Congress, in furtherance of its oversight obligations, to receive answers before the end of this year--before we enter a political season" so that voters can be assured that voter intimidation will not be tolerated.

Following the November elections of 2008, Justice Department attorneys filed charges against three individuals and the New Black Panther Party for allegedly threatening voters at a poll in Philadelphia. The Justice Department effectively won the case when the defendants declined to appear before the court and challenge the charges. But when Obama administration officials arrived at the Justice Department, the case against the Democratic Party's political ally was suddenly dropped! No facts had changed and no new evidence was shown to justify the decision, leaving the impression that politics played a role in the decision. It has been three months since OPR initiated an investigation at the request of Ranking Member Smith and Congressman Wolf.

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