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States push back against DOJ in defense of voter ID laws

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    Is Justice Department crossing the line?

  • Duration 5:57
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Major push back is building now in Texas after the Department of Justice decided to block a new voter ID law there.

The law would require voters to show a photo ID before entering the polls.

The feds say that -- is unfair to minorities to Hispanics in particular supporters say it would cut down on fraud and point out you need a voter ID -- I.

The entry of things as simple as buying a pack of beer.

Joining me now to discuss it Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson junior whose former chairman of the New York State commission on election modernization.

And Arnold well.

Famous civil rights attorney and former New York campaign manager for Robert Kennedy.

This is so interesting to me because the Justice Department is doing this systematically.

-- -- fingers as -- upheld voter ID laws and Indiana.

And yet the DOJ is already gone after South Carolina.

And now Texas saying you can't have a may be -- in Indiana you not so much closer with you in this mr.

bill.

What we make a bit that tactic that the DOJ is pursuing an -- -- -- something -- -- -- need to protect the rights of -- at the -- No this is part of the systematic effort by Eric Holder to use his agency has the -- of government as an instrument in politics in the next election.

And -- in the last election when of course after that he he defended the new Black Panther Party -- voter intimidation.

And what they really were doing there that was actually about and -- poll watchers and these.

A notification -- or another form of poll watching the that was an intent of the voting rights act of course.

And by.

Striking inside first by intimidating.

Poll watchers and now by making almost impossible to determine whether somebody is or is not entitled to vote.

There really try to maximize what they perceived to be the future electorate the President Obama.

Because these groups these voting blocks tend to vote democratic and so that's that -- charge that they know that they are trying to retreat to one to increase their their voting share at the polls but.

But they they do raise issues about.

Access to the polls access to the ability to get photo IDs here by these voting -- in it is the department of justice's responsibility to reports.

Act Department of Justice should protect the rights of minority voters but they should also protect the rights of all voters to have access.

To the polls and so what we see here in the state of Texas is they came up with these kind of strange numbers.

Based on the numbers that the Justice Department saw six point 3%.

Of Hispanic voters.

Don't have some form of ID that's acceptable to Texas.

Four point 3%.

Of nonhispanic voters.

Don't have that ID so atonement a 2% again.

And so now it's been published now this is -- Horrible thing it's terribly and equitable we're gonna be suppressing Hispanic American voters.

This is wrong this is a civil rights issue what's become a political football.

Is what it's become.

So protect minority voters protect them from real suppression efforts that have taken place over history.

But certainly Texas is effort and the effort in Wisconsin in South Carolina and Indiana as you point -- upheld by the Supreme Court.

That's not voter suppression.

Article it's interesting meeting here you on this side because you -- somebody who has devoted.

-- large portions of your life to fighting for the rights of minorities in particular at the polls.

Don't you see that there is an effort.

-- some and that's saying by all the by some to suppress that vote the same way the Democrats want to make sure those voters get out even if they don't have a right paperwork.

Sometimes the Republicans want to make sure they don't get out because they don't think they're -- people -- the lever for the GOP.

I think this is a legitimate step photo IDs.

By the way I believe Eric Holder is the worst attorney general since John Mitchell -- you know with Richard Nixon's attorney general.

And that's say serious matter from the but by the way right now we're in -- campaign in Harlem for a young African American Democrat is running against Charlie Rangel.

I think he's gonna find some problems up there.

But what are you so against Eric Holder I mean this is what the attorney general's job is right to go after watch elections make sure there's fairness.

He's not doing that.

When he and protected the new Black Panther Party after their abuses in the last election.

He he was guaranteeing that right in future elections to intimidate voters and poll watchers that is the exact opposite purpose.

Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King but you know -- not -- to have people carrying weapons blocking endorse the polling places and those -- people holder specifically protected but of course.

That's -- -- that's a wholly separate issue from this has nothing to do it old but there's an end and of course.

Protecting minority voters is important and I've seen suppression.

A minority voters here in new York and they don't have they -- -- always points out there's virtually no evidence of voter fraud while the GOP uses that's just well Texas -- pointed out that there were fifty prosecutions and convictions.

A voter fraud in the state of Texas in the ten years before voter fraud is a problem fifty and ten -- a lot of local prosecutors are afraid to prosecute its.

They were afraid to prosecute that they don't want to prosecute of course it's a problem.

In America of course it's a problem in many and and and many in the states and had to say well.

I I -- I needed to to cash a check to go to the supermarket to get an airplane but I don't need voter ID to vote.

Then I think this is strange the constitutional right should be protected because it is so important.

And they should be higher obligation and a burden to prove who we -- and you have the right.

To vote of the axis should be protected for all Americans and not only in election year -- -- and some guys -- minority.

But distant franchise and I don't believe -- I think it's a scam.

I think the numbers are are all crazy.

And it's an artifice or we will -- battles and -- Texas doesn't appear to be.

Can't take it lying down -- -- don't support they give us much good to --

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