The third-ranking official at the Obama Justice Department approved a decision in May to drop a civil complaint that accused three New Black Panther Party members of intimidating voters on Election Day last year, The Washington Times reports.
The newspaper reported that Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli was consulted on the matter before approving a decision in May to reverse course and drop the complaint.
The decision was made despite the fact that Justice lawyers in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division had pursued the complaint for five months and had recommended sanctions against the party and three of its members for their actions in Philadelphia in November. The government had already won a default judgment against them in federal court.
The Washington Times, citing records and interviews, reported that these lawyers were told by their bosses in late April to seek a delay even though they were in the final stages of their work.
The delay reportedly was ordered by then-acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King after meeting with Perrelli and discussing the case.
The Justice Department, however, disputed the allegations in the article, saying it distorted the decision-making process.
"There's nothing new here," a Justice official told FOX News. "Heavier innuendo, but no new facts. They're distorting the decision-making process, relying on Perrelli as Assistant Attorney General that oversees the civil rights division, (therefore) he made the call. Not true. Top career (officials) in the civil rights division made the decision." - FOX News Story
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