Sen. Cruz: Those who lionize convicted cop killers are not suitable for major leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Justice

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today spoke on the Senate floor to honor the brave service of America’s fallen police officers and oppose President Obama’s nomination of Debo Adegbile to head the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

“It is out of respect for our nation's police officers that I rise to oppose the nomination of Debo Adegbile to be the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division,” Sen. Cruz said. “We must remember our nation’s fallen police officers who have bravely given their lives to serve our nation and to protect us. They form the backbone of our country that supports the rule of law and they risk their lives every day to keep law-abiding Americans safe.”

In his remarks, the Senator noted that although every criminal defendant is entitled to an attorney, Adegbile’s representation of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man convicted of murdering Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, was pure political advocacy. Abu-Jamal's guilt was not in doubt – four eyewitnesses saw the shooting and Abu-Jamal confessed and stated in front of three witnesses that he hoped that Officer Faulkner died. And although Abu-Jamal already had a team of high-priced volunteer lawyers that had filed dozens of petitions and appeals, Adegbile and his team joined the case in 2009, 27 years after Faulkner’s death, and then began politicizing it. Under Adegbile's supervision, rallies, protests, and media campaigns instead dishonestly portrayed Abu-Jamal as a political prisoner and victim of racial injustice.

“This is not a matter of left wing or right wing politics,” Sen. Cruz continued. “We all should agree that violent criminals should be punished. We should all agree that those who advocate for, celebrate, lionize convicted cop killers are not suitable for major leadership roles at the United States Department of Justice. I urge every member of this body to oppose this nomination.”

In addition to his voluntary defense of a convicted cop-killer, Adegbile has a record of opposing common-sense voter ID laws, attacking religious liberties, advocating federal interference in religious institutions, and opposing Americans’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

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