XPost: ba.politics, dc.media, soc.penpals   
   XPost: alt.burningman   
   From: og@barackobama.com   
      
   The Philadelphia district attorney is speaking out against   
   President Obama's nominee for a top Justice Department post,   
   saying his link to the case of a convicted cop killer "sends a   
   message of contempt" to police -- as the widow of the fallen   
   officer is apparently denied the chance to testify.   
      
   Maureen Faulkner, whose husband Daniel Faulkner was killed in   
   1981, was hoping to speak publicly on the case before the Senate   
   Judiciary Committee, which plans to vote Thursday on the   
   nomination of Debo Adegbile to lead the Civil Rights Division.   
      
   But she told FoxNews.com she's "extremely frustrated" after   
   being told by representatives of Judiciary Committee Chairman   
   Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., that she won't be able to do so.   
      
   "I am physically, emotionally and mentally distressed that I'm   
   not able to be in that room," Faulkner told FoxNews.com by   
   phone. "This is personal to me."   
      
   Faulkner said she received a letter from Leahy's office this   
   week informing her that it's "not the practice" of the committee   
   to accept outside testimony. Faulkner, who lives in Los Angeles,   
   later realized she could attend the hearing as a member of the   
   public but was unable to book a flight.   
      
   "I couldn't sleep all night," she said. "If I found out about   
   this before yesterday and I could physically be there, I would   
   be there."   
      
   A Leahy spokeswoman told FoxNews.com that a hearing to consider   
   Adegbile's nomination was already held on Jan. 8, and lawmakers   
   were allowed to ask questions on his background then. She   
   reiterated that "it's not the practice" of the committee to have   
   outside witnesses.   
      
   Faulkner, in seeking to testify, claimed Adegbile "personally   
   took on" the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal while working with the   
   NAACP to overturn Abu-Jamal's death penalty. Abu-Jamal was   
   convicted in the 1981 killing of Daniel Faulkner.   
      
   The nominee has faced criticism for his role in getting Abu-   
   Jamal's death sentence overturned during his time as acting   
   director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.   
      
   Adegbile, 46, told the Senate committee last month that he had   
   no direct role in three briefs submitted on behalf of Abu-Jamal   
   by the NAACP, though he did lead the unit that sent them. The   
   briefs pertained to concerns about the death sentence rather   
   than the guilt of Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal was initially sentenced   
   to death, but that penalty has been overturned. Now 59, Abu-   
   Jamal remains imprisoned in Pennsylvania.   
      
   Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, a Democrat, said   
   Adegbile is "ill-suited for the pivotal role" of leading the   
   Civil Rights Division. He voiced his concerns in a Feb. 4 letter   
   to Leahy and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.   
      
   "Mr. Adegbile has impressive credentials," Williams wrote. "His   
   decision to champion the cause of an extremist cop-killer,   
   however, sends a message of contempt to police officers who risk   
   their lives every day to maintain the peace."   
      
   Adegbile's connection to Abu-Jamal and Obama's decision to   
   nominate him to head a key post within the Justice Department   
   has outraged Faulkner's widow. "This man voluntarily took on   
   this case to try and get [Abu-Jamal] off of death row and   
   probably out of prison," she said. "Where are my civil rights?"   
      
   If Adegbile is confirmed, Faulkner said she'd feel as if the   
   Justice Department "failed" her for a second time.   
      
   Adegbile has served as the committee's senior counsel since last   
   year. Adegbile, for his part, told the Senate committee last   
   month that his role in Abu-Jamal's legal representation does not   
   negate the "grievous loss" of the late Philadelphia cop.   
      
   "It's important, I think, to understand that in no way does that   
   legal representation, zealously as an advocate, cast any   
   aspersion or look past the grievous loss of Sergeant Faulkner,"   
   Adegbile said.   
      
   Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., also opposes Adegbile's nomination,   
   saying his record raises "serious questions" about his judgment.   
      
   "Notably, a team of defense lawyers managed by Mr. Adegbile   
   distorted the facts in the case for Mumia Abu-Jamal, the   
   unrepentant murderer who took the life of Philadelphia Police   
   Officer Daniel Faulkner 32 years ago," Toomey said in a   
   statement to FoxNews.com.   
      
   Williams, meanwhile, noted in his letter to Leahy and Grassley   
   that Abu-Jamal made every effort to turn his trial into   
   "political theater" by repeatedly interrupting the proceedings   
   and insulting the judge.   
      
   "Of course, in our system even a radical cop-killer Mumia Abu-   
   Jamal is entitled to legal representation," his letter   
   continued. "That does not mean, however, that those lawyers who   
   elect to arm him in his efforts are suitable to lead this   
   nation's highest law enforcement offices."   
      
   Those who know Adegbile personally, however, say he's the best   
   man for the job. One such supporter is Terrance Daniels, a   
   retired detective from the New York City Police Department. In a   
   letter to the Senate committee, Daniels, who has known Adegbile   
   as a classmate, co-worker and friend throughout three decades,   
   said Obama's pick has "always been known" for having the highest   
   integrity and character.   
      
   "He has always displayed a work ethic that would be hard to   
   duplicate," Daniels wrote. "His knowledge of individual's legal   
   rights will be perfectly used in the position he has been   
   nominated for. He will protect everyone's civil rights with an   
   enthusiasm and knowledge that will be second to none."   
      
   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/05/philly-district-   
   attorney-opposes-controversial-obama-nominee/?intcmp=obinsite   
      
       
      
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