Well, at least not yet.

Officials from the Department of Justice have told a North Carolina congressman that it's too early to launch a federal investigation into the handling of the Duke lacrosse case, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Rep. Walter Jones wrote Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last month, asking that the Department of Justice investigate whether the district attorney prosecuting three Duke lacrosse players charged with sexual assault has violated the athletes' civil rights.

The department's Office of Legislative Affairs responded last week that it was premature to initiate a federal investigation while criminal charges and other investigations at the state level are ongoing, said Cynthia J. Magnuson, a Department of Justice spokeswoman.

Ordinarily, IÂ’d agree that there should not be federal intervention while charges are still pending against the defendants. However, in this case there has been such manifest misconduct by Mike Nifong that it seems the failure to act now is nothing less than the avoidance of responsibility. After all, shouldnÂ’t the Justice Department stop a civil rights violation in progress?

Posted by: Greg at 11:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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