Thread: Grand Jury Probes McKinney ( D-GA ) Incident

Grand Jury Probes McKinney Incident
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A grand jury has supoenaed two Capitol Hill aides who witnessed the March 29 confrontation between Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga.. and a Capitol Police officer.

McKinney is accused of striking an officer after he tried to stop her from entering a House office building without going through a security checkpoint.

Lisa Subrize, executive assistant to Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., and Troy Phillips, senior legislative assistant to Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., notified Speaker Dennis Hastert late Wednesday, as is customary under House procedure.

"After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the precedents and privileges of the House," both aides said in statements that a clerk read into the House record.

Bob Jackson, a spokesman for McCotter, said that Subrize witnessed the confrontation and immediately filled out a form for the Capitol Police, describing what she saw.

He and a spokeswoman for Farr declined further comment.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who on Tuesday abandoned his re-election bid under a cloud of ethics charges, weighed in on Wednesday, saying McKinney, who is black, "is a racist." The officer she allegedly struck is white.

"She has a long history of racism," DeLay, R-Texas, said on Fox News Channel. "Everything is racism with her. This is incredible arrogance that sometimes hits these members of Congress, but especially Cynthia McKinney."

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said McKinney turned the officer's failure to recognize her into a criminal matter when she failed to stop at his request, and then struck him.

"He reached out and grabbed her and she turned around and hit him," Gainer said on CNN. "Even the high and the haughty should be able to stop and say, 'I'm a congressman' and then everybody moves on."

McKinney wasn't backing down. She charged anew that racism is behind what she said is a pattern of difficulty in clearing Hill security checkpoints.

"This has become much ado about hairdo," she said Wednesday on CBS' "The Early Show." McKinney recently dropped her trademark cornrows in favor of a curly brown afro.

The incident in a House office building has caused a commotion on Capitol Hill, where security in the era of terrorist threat is tighter than ever and where authorities had to order an evacuation just Monday because of a power outage. Capitol Police have turned the McKinney case over to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein.

Republicans, meanwhile, presented a resolution commending Capitol police for professionalism toward members of Congress and visitors, even though they "endure physical and verbal assaults in some extreme cases."

"I don't think it's fair to attack the Capitol Police and I think it's time that we show our support for them," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a sponsor of the measure.

Some GOP members have said the McKinney incident serves to underscore Democratic insensitivity to security concerns.

Gainer said racism was not a factor.

"I've seen our officers stop white members and black members, Latinos, male and females," he told CNN. "It's not an issue about what your race or gender is. It's an issue about making sure people who come into our building are recognized if they're not going through the magnetometer, and this officer at that moment didn't recognize her.

"It would have been real easy, as most members of Congress do, to say here's who I am or do you know who I am?" Gainer added.

Police also have said that McKinney was failing to wear a pin that lawmakers are asked to display when entering Capitol facilities.

___

Associated Press Writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060406/...RtBHNlYwMxNjk5

MCKINNEY: "I APOLOGIZE"
By Michelle Malkin · April 06, 2006 02:00 PM

Expose the Left has the video of Cynthia McKinney's desperate attempt to save her political hide.
http://www.exposetheleft.com/2006/04...kinneyapology/

REP. MCKINNEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I come before this body to personally express again my sincere regret about the encounter with the capitol hill police. I appreciate my colleagues who are standing with me, who love this institution, and who love this country. There should not have been any physical contact in this incident. I have always supported law enforcement and will be voting for H.R. 756, Expressing my gratitude and appreciation to the professionalism and dedication of the men and women of the u.S. Capitol police. I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all and I regret its escalation and I apologize. Thank you, mr. Speaker.

Meanwhile, grand jury proceedings are underway and two witnesses will take the stand:

A grand jury has supoenaed two Capitol Hill aides who witnessed the March 29 confrontation between Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga.. and a Capitol Police officer. McKinney is accused of striking an officer after he tried to stop her from entering a House office building without going through a security checkpoint.
Lisa Subrize, executive assistant to Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., and Troy Phillips, senior legislative assistant to Rep. Sam Farr, D- Calif., notified Speaker Dennis Hastert late Wednesday, as is customary under House procedure.

"After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the precedents and privileges of the House," both aides said in statements that a clerk read into the House record. Bob Jackson, a spokesman for McCotter, said that Subrize witnessed the confrontation and immediately filled out a form for the Capitol Police, describing what she saw. He and a spokeswoman for Farr declined further comment.


More trouble via the AJC: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/met...tmckinney.html

McKinney has been keeping a very high profile since the incident occurred, asserting in press conferences and television interviews that she was the victim of racial profiling. The officer who stopped McKinney, an African-American, was white.

McKinney made no reference to racial profiling in her statement on the House floor.

But even as McKinney appeared to be trying to put the issue to rest, a bodyguard she hired – reportedly a former Georgia state trooper – was raising another furor when he threatened a television reporter trying to interview McKinney outside the Capitol just minutes before she appeared on the House floor.

When the reporter from Cox Broadcasting tried to ask McKinney about the grand jury, the bodyguard told him, "I'm going to put your :censored: in jail. I'm a police officer," a videotape of the incident shows.

Asked if he worked for Capitol police, the man said, "I work for Miss McKinney."

Word that McKinney had hired a bodyguard roiled the ranks of the Capitol police who were worried that the guard was carrying a weapon. They said they are concerned about what the bodyguard might do if Capitol police challenged McKinney at a security checkpoint.

McKinney's office did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.

video of McKinney's bodyguard threatening a reporter :
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/8508770/index.html

Originally Posted by excuseme

regardless, this is a waste of tax payer dollars. we have a war to fund right?

hhhh mmmmm - interesting response.... Wonder if it would be different if the person in question were a Republican ?

I mean - a person evades security procedures and when stopped, strikes the police officer ( now if it were you are me we would have spent the rest of the day at the Precinct) - then the offender calls several Press conferences to play the race card and the Blame Game. If McKinney had not done that ( or in fact had followed the rules in the first place ) none of this would be needed.

Sorry I forgot your mantra - "ABB"

It's primary election night in Georgia tonight.
Will Crazy Cynthia McKinney feel the heat or won't she?

McKinney tussle motivates voters
By Charles Yoo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Voters trickling in and out of Holy Trinity Church on East Ponce de Leon Avenue, walking distance from Decatur’s downtown square, said U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney’s run-in with Capitol police prompted them to vote against her.

Anne Dishman, 37, a stay-at-home mom, voted for McKinney’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Hank Johnson. “I don’t know a lot about him, but it is important that Cynthia is not voted back into office,” she said.

Dishman, referring to the congresswoman’s infamous tussle a few months ago, said, “Both parties should have said I am sorry and moved on. But, she made a big deal out of it.”

Dishman said she voted for Cathy Cox in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. “I very familiar with her work, very impressed with her track record,” she said.

Lance Blair, a 36-year-old Democrat and audio engineer said one thing is clear in his mind: McKinney needs to go. “Right or wrong, Washington has tuned McKinney out,” he said. “I understand her anger and frustrations, but there is a limit. I don’t appreciate politicians of either party being blustery.”

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sha...ey_tussle.html



McKinney hopes base sends her back to D.C.

ATLANTA (AP) — Whether Cynthia McKinney’s work in Congress is seen by voters as controversial or courageous will again be the key to her political future as she faced a contested Democratic primary Tuesday.

Voters in her predominantly Democrat district ousted her in the primary four years ago in favor of little-known political newcomer Denise Majette, who promised not to embarrass her constituents as Majette claimed McKinney had done for a decade. McKinney was largely criticized for questioning the Bush administration’s advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks, claiming the president allowed them to happen so his friends could profit from the bloodshed.

Since returning to Congress in 2005 when Majette left to run for the Senate, McKinney largely kept a low profile, focusing on national issues like the war on Iraq, the Voting Rights Act and the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

But a scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer in March again thrust her into the national spotlight. McKinney argued with the officer and struck him after he stopped her when he didn’t recognize her as McKinney entered a House office building.

Facing possible criminal charges for striking the officer, McKinney was forced to apologize on the floor of the House. A federal grand jury in Washington declined to indict and she has bounced back apparently stronger than ever in her largely black district in suburban Atlanta, where many view her as a fighter. Some political observers have said the incident helped to galvanize her image as someone who is not afraid to stand up against authority.

Her opponents have been much more visible on the campaign trail. Both Hank Johnson, an attorney and former DeKalb County Commissioner, and John Coyne, an architect, criticized McKinney for skipping two televised debates and other campaign-related appearances.

The elusive incumbent has hosted meetings with her constituents and other events appealing to her base, located in south DeKalb County — home to one of the highest rates of black affluence in the country.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/l...r/15065228.htm



Growing number of voters ignore primary elections
7/17/2006
By Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Halfway through this year's primary season, voters are showing little interest in picking candidates for the Nov. 7 elections that will determine control of Congress and elect more than one-third of the nation's governors.

Twenty-five states held primaries through June 27. Sixteen of the 22 states that have certified figures or provided estimates to USA TODAY recorded voter turnout lower than 2002, the last national election that wasn't in a presidential year. Some experts worry that a voter boycott of primaries could result in politics being dominated by single-issue special-interest groups.

"The higher the turnout, the more representative an election is," says Rhodes Cook, publisher of a non-partisan political newsletter. "The lower the turnout, the more the election is likely to reflect a wing of a party or an ideology."

Turnout hasn't cracked 40% in any state. In most, primary participation was in the 20%-30% range. Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia and West Virginia posted their lowest primary turnouts in at least eight years.

So far, the year's rock-bottom has come in Virginia, which did not have a 2002 primary. The June 13 Democratic Senate primary drew national attention and was open to all Virginians, regardless of their party. Fewer than 4% of more than 4.5 million eligible voters showed up to nominate former Navy secretary Jim Webb to face Sen. George Allen in November.

Americans' ho-hum attitude about primaries doesn't necessarily mean they will stay away from the polls this fall. More than one out of three Americans are giving the upcoming congressional elections "quite a lot of thought," according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken last month. "In any given year, primary turnout will not predict general-election turnout," says Curtis Gans of American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate

Gans is expecting "close to a record low" turnout for this year's primaries but thinks it will be "comparatively high" in the fall. "The polarization around George Bush will drive this election," he says. Still, he's concerned the no-shows have devalued the importance of voting. "We essentially have gotten rid of the religion of civic duty," Gans says.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...turnouts_x.htm

Now that's justice.

Here in Memphis for the first 2 days of early voting there were over 13,000 voters. I don't think that is too bad for a mid-term election and early voting in a primary. Here we have a lot in the air and a lot of grassroot campaigns going on. People want a change and I think we may actually see that after the actual primary in August.

The Uppity Slur
Tom Bevan
Tue Dec 19, 9:30 AM ET

Yesterday Georgia Republican State Rep. Len Walker offered a resolution to strip Cynthia McKinney's name off a highway in DeKalb County saying that Ms. McKinney's tenure in Congress was "marked by controversies and rhetoric that has brought embarrassment to the state of Georgia." Walker added, ""Where I come from, we don't name roads for people like Cynthia McKinney."

You may or may not find this idea silly. Fine. McKinney's behavior did cause a lot of attention, and it certainly caused sufficient embarrassment and/or disgust among voters in her district to toss her out of office in November. But she wasn't convicted of a crime or get caught in some other egregious act (a la Mark Foley), which is the sort of disgrace that normally precedes something like this.

Regardless of what you think of Walker's resolution, listen to the way McKinney's former campaign manager responded:

And as for Walker's claim that McKinney has caused embarrassment to Georgia, [John] Evans said: "He must be talking about white folks or uppity black folks."[emphasis added]

So if you're an African-American who thinks McKinney's behavior was embarrassing you're "uppity?" That's the sort of vicious slander some blacks use against members of their own community to keep them in line, whether that line is supporting someone like Cynthia McKinney or opposing other African-Americans like Michael Steele. It's an effective but truly shameful tactic.


The Uppity Slur - Yahoo! News

McKinney registers in Calif., where some want to nominate her
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
(10-17) 04:11 PDT

ATLANTA, (AP) -- Former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has registered to vote in California, where some want her to run for president as a Green Party candidate.

McKinney posted a letter on her Web site last month saying she has no interest in the Green Party nomination. But in recent weeks, she has appeared at fundraisers in California, where a group called Run! Cynthia! Run! is trying to draft her as the party's candidate in California. McKinney's name already is on the ballot in California, along with six other Green Party candidates, including Ralph Nader. She and the others were nominated by a Green Party convention in September.

The fact that McKinney's name remains on the ballot has given supporters hope, said John Morton, a California Green Party delegate. "She's got us all guessing, but she hasn't removed her name, and that's a good sign. I talked to her last week and she said she's very interested but not ready to make an announcement."

McKinney, who served five terms as a U.S. congresswoman representing a district east of Atlanta, has been registered to vote in Marin County, Calif., since May 4, 2007, according to records at the Marin County Registrar of Voters. Marin County is north of San Francisco.

McKinney served in Congress from 1993 to 2003, and from 2005 to 2007. She lost in the 2006 Democratic primary several months after she had a headline-grabbing scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer.


Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...n041143D48.DTL