Nifong Probe Possible, U.S. Attorney General Says

[Triana]

Posted: Dec. 17 6:29 p.m.
Updated: Dec. 17 6:51 p.m.

Raleigh — The United States Attorney General suggested Sunday that his office might investigate the way District Attorney Mike Nifong has handled the Duke lacrosse rape case.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confirmed he received a letter asking for a federal probe into the investigation, in which an exotic dancer claims three lacrosse players raped her at a March 13 party.

"Well, that is a letter that we recently received," Gonzales told Fox News' Brian Wilson. "It's being evaluated at the (Department of Justice). I can't say anything -- anything beyond that."

Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-North Carolina, sent Gonzales the letter last week asking for a federal investigation into possible prosecutorial misconduct, and specifically, to determine whether the defendants' civil rights were violated.

"I was offended by the way (Nifong) has handled this case," Jones told WRAL last week. "I think he has been out of control."

More...

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1109820/

[ncrainbowgrrl]

1. More drama for Durham... oh boy!

Just what we all need- The torture master himself investigating this. :eyes:

WHile he's all in the investigative mode, how about taking a look at Gitmo?

[Triana]

4. Puh. Yea...

...if the Gonzo has time to meddle in Durham's affairs, he certainly has time to investigate some REAL civil/human rights abuses, doesn't he? Republican priorities. Watcha gonna say eh?

I do think that if Nifong did what is being alleged, that he is certainly due some very harsh retribution as he has violated the lacrosse player's rights (and the law) - but this should be handled at the state level, not the federal one. The feds OUGHT to be worrying about other things.

[dsc]

8. Our state has a piss poor history in punishing rouge prosecutors

We had a pair that literally conspired to keep excupatory evidence from an innocent man in a death penalty case. Not only did neither get indicted both are still prosecutors in the very same department. Sorry but I don't trust NC to do this at all, let alone correctly.

[jberryhill]

21. Rouge Prosecutors?

Do they try fashion crimes?

[geek tragedy]

10. Except that it's a federal crime to use official

office to deprive people of their constitutional rights like Nifong has done.

[Triana]

17. thing is...

...if they're gonna go after Nifong (and I'm not saying they shouldn't!) then they ought to go after the atrocities at Gitmo and the like too. Inconsistency and screwed up priorities at Gonzo's office.

Not that that's any surprise. They're Republicans - inconsistency and f*cked up priorities are their specialty, after all.

[Kagemusha]

2. Excellent. Nifong really has this coming.

The admission by the prosecuton's DNA lab's director that he (the director) and Nifong made an agreement to withhold exculpatory evidence from the defense team is all that's required for a very serious Conspiracy Against Rights charge, which is max 10 years in Club Fed (worse if, say, someone dies as a result, but that's not the case here). This prosecutor deserves to go down, hard.

I'd be very sad to hear that the paternity test on the accuser's baby results in tying one of the student athletes to a crime, but the prosecutor's grievous disregard for proper prosecutorial conduct must be punished as a separate entity.

[IndianaGreen]

9. Nifong and the defense have ruled out any of the Duke players as fathers

of the child. Clearly the pregnancy took place shortly after the alleged rape.

[Kagemusha]

11. The judge ordering the pregnancy test obviously trusts none of them

Frankly, I would be extremely surprised if any of the players showed up as the father. I'm just being over the top reasonable and saying, even if that WAS the case, which I do not reasonably expect whatsoever, Nifong's rear end should still be served on a platter. Frankly, at this point, even if the players were guilty as hell, they'd probably get off on prosecutorial misconduct. Their probable innocence only makes it worse.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Both sides requested the pregnancy test, the judge merely granted the request

The way the prosecutor has handled the case of Reade Seligmann is particularly egregious. If there is one case ripe for dismissal is Seligmann's.

[Kagemusha]

15. I stand corrected.

I either misread or I just didn't see that part mentioned prominently in the news report I glanced at indicating the judge had ordered the pregnancy test. Thank you.

[IndianaGreen]

16. Well, the judge issued an order for a pregnancy test

but it was because the prosecutor and the defense filed motions requesting a paternity test.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

3. Good

Nifong has has kept pursuing his case to save his own political bacon. AN ethical prosecutor will drop charges once he sees that there's no basis behind them.

[IndianaGreen]

5. The proper venue is for Nifong to be investigated by ABA

He could be disbarred if found that he violated the canons of ethics.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. That is *a* proper venue.

He should also face criminal penalties for prosecutorial misconduct if any indeed occurred.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Nifong would be civily liable if he is disbarred for misconduct

My problem with AG Gonzales is that he is such a Nazi, and I don't want this case to be anymore tainted than it already is.

[Kagemusha]

12. I understand, but my reading of this is career prosecutors are involved

and that Gonzales isn't touching this in a way that'll look political. Career prosecutors would - should - be ticked off at being made to look bad because one of their own is behaving so badly, so publicly, so blatantly.

But absolutely, take the man's law license away too, sue him in civil court. The works.

[Lance_Boyle]

13. Agreed on that point.

Abu Gonzo should let the state handle this mess. The only reason for Federal interference would be if the complaining congresscritter cited civil rights concerns, which I believe he did. Way to slap another layer of mud on the mess, Rep. Jones...

[laureloak]

18. Nifong can burn in hell as far as I'm concerned.

It burns me up to think what he's tried to do to these young men. And why aren't the civil rights advocates screaming in the boy's defense?

[IndianaGreen]

19. In the end, it was a class thing after all!

Just as the rightwing thinks the worst of what they see as the "lower" classes, sometimes those of us in the working class think the worst of the upper class.

The spoiled children of the elites are entitled to the same presumption of innocence as a vagrant accused of murder.

[laureloak]

20. Yet you feel it's OK to describe them as "spoiled"? n/t

[laureloak]

22. Where is the outrage from civil rights leaders on behalf

of the boys?