Sam Stein reports on an e-mail sent by conservative activist and former Voting Section Attorney turned NBPP "whistle-blower" J. Christian Adams on his efforts to put the case together in 2008. The Obama administration narrowed the case because they said there wasn't enough evidence to prove a nationwide voter-suppression campaign, while Adams has argued the opposite.
The flames have also been fueled by conservative media -- which remains convinced that something nefarious took place -- and J. Christian Adams, an attorney who worked under Coates in the Bush Administration. Adams had insisted at the case's onset that it was a "slam dunk." But an email he sent before he made that assessment showed that he lacked any concrete evidence to reach that valuation.
"I'm trying to speed things along and wanted to make sure my assessment of the chronology and facts are consistent with your information," the email from December 2008 read. "The chronology of the calls, and by whom, and what the panthers said to these people is going to be important, very important. Under the statute, a black poll watcher for you being abused or insulted is critical, and thus far, I don't have one."
Something else Stein doesn't highlight that's in the e-mail, though, is the fact that Adams said that "a concern some have stated is that if something isn't done about the panther deployment in 2008, then there is nothing to stop the future deployment of armed hate groups at polls in future elections." It's kind of a weird construction, but it suggests that Adams was genuinely worried that the NBPP would be implementing a nationwide voter-suppression campaign against white voters.
That doesn't speak to whether or not his concerns are substantiated; the absence of similar incidents elsewhere, the location, and the fact that the Panthers at the polls were rebuked by their leadership suggests the opposite. But like the ongoing specter of voter fraud, the complaints surrounding the NBPP case rely mostly on the evidence of things not seen.
