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Democratic Leader Wants Rove Jailed And A Cop-Killer Freed
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| U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. , D-Mich., speaks at a press conference in Washington on Dec. 31. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former Bush administration official Carl Rove again and called for the release of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. (Alexis C. Glenn/Associated Press) |
Conyers Wants Rove In, Abu Jamal Out
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
A longtime Democratic Party leader and elder statesman who has former George Bush Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove in his sights again is also eager to see convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal retried and freed.
U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has subpoenaed the former Bush administration official again. This is the latest attempt in what some see as a political vendetta by Mr. Conyers against Mr. Rove.
Mr. Conyers’ pursuit of Mr. Rove stands in stark contrast to his fervid advocacy on behalf of Mr. Abu-Jamal, who was initially sentenced to be executed for the cold-blooded murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. Mr. Abu-Jamal’s case has been reviewed multiple times by various courts and also reviewed by media outlets — all of which has confirmed his guilt.
According to Workers World, the official publication of the Marxist Workers World Party, Mr. Conyers signed a letter to former Gov. Tom Ridge in 1998 asking for clemency for Mr. Abu Jamal.
Mr. Conyers’ district covers all of Highland Park and Hamtramck, as well as large portions of Detroit and Dearborn and contains a large Muslim population.
In the 1980s, Mr. Conyers strongly supported the Nicaraguan Sandinista dictatorship; he was a signatory to a March 7, 1986 letter published in The New York Times, which stated, “There is more freedom and less brutality in revolutionary Nicaragua than in Central American countries supported by the [Reagan] Administration.”
Mr. Conyers addressed a Jan. 2003 anti-war rally organized by the Workers World Party-created group International A.N.S.W.E.R., and there has been recent news reports the group has admitted some of its members are anti-Semitic.
An Oct. 13, 1999 news release from the office of Philadelphia U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Democrat, which was published in the Oct. 24, 1999 edition of the Revolutionary Worker Online mentioned Mr. Conyers support for a new trial for Mr. Abu-Jamal.
Justice can only be served through a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, concluded U.S. Reps. Fattah and Conyers, speaking on behalf of the entire 38-member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Mr. Fattah has been closely monitoring the Abu-Jamal case for almost two decades and has concluded that a new trial is necessary in order to carry out Abu-Jamal’s constitutional right to due process. Mr. Conyers, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, agrees.س
Mr. Conyers also appeared at a rally to free Abu-Jamal in Washington D.C., March 30, 2001. He was joined by rap singer Chuck D and MOVE member Pam Africa.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has subpoenaed the former Bush administration official again. This is the latest attempt in what some see as a political vendetta by Mr. Conyers against Mr. Rove.
Mr. Conyers’ pursuit of Mr. Rove stands in stark contrast to his fervid advocacy on behalf of Mr. Abu-Jamal, who was initially sentenced to be executed for the cold-blooded murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. Mr. Abu-Jamal’s case has been reviewed multiple times by various courts and also reviewed by media outlets — all of which has confirmed his guilt.
According to Workers World, the official publication of the Marxist Workers World Party, Mr. Conyers signed a letter to former Gov. Tom Ridge in 1998 asking for clemency for Mr. Abu Jamal.
Mr. Conyers’ district covers all of Highland Park and Hamtramck, as well as large portions of Detroit and Dearborn and contains a large Muslim population.
In the 1980s, Mr. Conyers strongly supported the Nicaraguan Sandinista dictatorship; he was a signatory to a March 7, 1986 letter published in The New York Times, which stated, “There is more freedom and less brutality in revolutionary Nicaragua than in Central American countries supported by the [Reagan] Administration.”
Mr. Conyers addressed a Jan. 2003 anti-war rally organized by the Workers World Party-created group International A.N.S.W.E.R., and there has been recent news reports the group has admitted some of its members are anti-Semitic.
An Oct. 13, 1999 news release from the office of Philadelphia U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Democrat, which was published in the Oct. 24, 1999 edition of the Revolutionary Worker Online mentioned Mr. Conyers support for a new trial for Mr. Abu-Jamal.
Justice can only be served through a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, concluded U.S. Reps. Fattah and Conyers, speaking on behalf of the entire 38-member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Mr. Fattah has been closely monitoring the Abu-Jamal case for almost two decades and has concluded that a new trial is necessary in order to carry out Abu-Jamal’s constitutional right to due process. Mr. Conyers, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, agrees.س
Mr. Conyers also appeared at a rally to free Abu-Jamal in Washington D.C., March 30, 2001. He was joined by rap singer Chuck D and MOVE member Pam Africa.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
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