Bulletin Exclusive: Justice Department Contradicts Itself About NAACP - The Philadelphia Bulletin

Bulletin Exclusive: Justice Department Contradicts Itself About NAACP - The Philadelphia Bulletin: "During research for the interview with Justice Department whistleblower J. Christian Adams, some documents were discovered that heretofore have not been mentioned in the reportage about the now infamous New Black Panther voter intimidation case.

These documents concern inquiries made by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) to the Department of Justice - and the contradictory responses by Justice Department (DOJ) personnel. They serve to cast more doubt about the handling of this case by the DOJ Civil Rights Division.

The first item was an exchange of correspondence between the USCCR and the DOJ. The correspondence concerned what, if anything, was communicated to outside third parties about this case by Justice Department personnel.

The December 8, 2009 memo from David Blackwood, the USCCR legal counsel to Joseph Hunt, Director of DOJ’s Federal Programs Branch, contained a list of questions or “interrogatories.” The USCCR wanted specific answers about the New Black Panther matter.

Interrogatory 12 asked, “Identify and describe in detail all communications, whether oral or written, by or between the Department and any outside third parties with regard to the New Black Panther Party litigation. This request includes, but is not limited to, all communications with Kristen Clarke of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.”

Mr. Hunt responded to Mr. Blackwood on January 12, 2010. Page 8 of his response stated, “The Department’s search to date has not yielded any information related to a communication with Kristen Clarke.”

But the second item discovered by The Bulletin contradicts Mr. Hunt.