Political Appointees Involved in New Black Panther Case, and More DOJ Stonewalling

The Obama administration for over a year has insisted that the decision to dismiss an egregious case of voter intimidation against the New Black Panther Party was made by career attorneys. In a series of letters to Republican Reps. Lamar Smith and Frank Wolf, and in sworn testimony by the head of the civil rights division Thomas Perez, the Obama team stuck to its story that career attorneys made the call. (In fact the two individuals the Justice Department identified, Loretta King and Steve Rosenbaum, were then the interim head of the civil rights division and the deputy, both political positions.) THE WEEKLY STANDARD, however, previously reported that in written discovery responses to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights the Justice Department let on that both the associate attorney general (the number three man in the Justice Department) Thomas J. Perrelli and his boss Eric Holder had been consulted on the dismissal. Today, further evidence came to light indicating the Obama Justice Department has lied about the involvement of political appointees. 
This morning Judicial Watch announced the results of its Freedom of Information Act request. Judicial Watch obtained the privilege log, that is, the list and description of those documents the Justice Department refused to turn over to the Civil Rights Commission in response to its subpoena. On that list were numerous documents suggesting the extensive and serious involvement of Obama political appointees, including Perrelli’s deputy Sam Hirsch who had multiple contacts with Rosenbaum. In a press release Judicial Watch explained: