Will DOJ Black Panther Case Whistleblower Story Break Mainstream?

After an exclusive TV interview this week with Megyn Kelly, the Department of Justice whistleblower J. Christian Adams, who is accusing his old employer of dropping voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party, may be headed for a lot more attention.

The Associated Press takes an in-depth look at both sides of the case – will the mainstream media follow?

Adams says in his interview with Kelly (video below) as well as his blog post this week at Pajamas Media that the Department of Justice was ready to prosecute two members of the New Black Panther Party who were caught on tape (also by Fox News) standing guard outside a Philadelphia polling station, one with a nightstick in hand. “It’s the easiest case I ever had at the Justice Department,” said Adams. “There was no doubt in anybody’s mind, at least not the people working hard on the case.”

So the department charged the “two guys on camera,” as well as the party itself and the head of the party. And the

defendants ignored the charges. But three of the cases were dismissed completely May 15, and the fourth, for the guy with the nightstick, was reduced to just stopping him from appearing at polls with a weapon in Philadelphia only for a couple years. Said Adams: “We were told drop the charges against the New Black Panther Party.”

It’s a complicated story for a couple reasons, and not just because the Department of Justice is vigorously disputing Adams’ account of the story. There are always changes when one administration leaves and another comes in, and in this case it’s a Republican DOJ out and a Democratic DOJ in. But the underlying issue is race – it’s not just a Democratic President, it’s a black President and a black Attorney General. And we’re dealing with the New Black Panther Party as defendants.

In Adams’ interview with Kelly, he did not shy away from the race element:

Kelly: Do you believe that the DOJ has a policy now of not pursuing cases if the defendant is black and victim is white?Adams: Particularly in voting. In voting, that will be the case over the next few years. There’s no doubt about it.

In their response, which FNC read on-air after the interview, the DOJ said, “It is not uncommon for attorneys within the department to have good-faith disagreements about the appropriate course of action

in a particular case. Although it is regrettable when a former Department attorney distorts the facts and makes baseless allegations to promote his or her agenda.”

Megyn Kelly also said, “Another source close to the case telling one of our producers that Christian Adams is a conservative who has made willful misstatements in this interview.”

But now the story isn’t just getting play on the red blogs (or Adams’ personal blog) or Fox News. The AP’s story details all sides of the case, and that means more outlets will follow. So far, the story has not been discussed on FNC’s cable news competitors or any of the broadcast networks. When we return from the July 4 holiday weekend, that very likely will change – and it should.

This is an important story, regardless of how contentious it may be and the discomfort that may come from the topics at play. Add the element of race-related double standards, racism and, well, the Obama administration, and the reluctance by the media to broach the subject matter isn’t surprising. (And of course, insert your ‘liberal media protecting Obama’ storyline here as well, if you’re so inclined.) But the White House has not addressed this, and frankly, it hasn’t really been a topic they’ve had to address yet.

Let’s see what happens after Independence Day.

Here’s Kelly’s

exclusive interview this week:

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