Former DOJ official says department won’t prosecute minorities for voting rights violations

Ex-DOJ official blasts voting rights enforcement

WASHINGTON — A former Justice Department official says his higher-ups told lawyers they are not interested in pursuing Voting Rights Act accusations against minorities. The department denies the allegations.

Christopher Coates is the former chief of the Justice Department’s Voting Section. He says some within the Justice Department have “deep-seated opposition to the equal enforcement of the VRA against racial minorities and for the protection of whites.”

A Justice Department spokeswoman says they make decisions “based on the merits, not the race, gender or ethnicity of any party involved.”

The testimony came before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is looking into the handling of accusations against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia.