Name: Ramsey County Attorney Choi resigns from presidential commission, saying it had ‘predetermined agenda’
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Ramsey County Attorney Choi resigns from presidential commission, saying it had ‘predetermined agenda’

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By | | Pioneer PressRamsey County Attorney John Choi submitted a letter of resignation from a presidential criminal justice commission, saying it became obvious the process “was intent on providing cover for a predetermined agenda that ignores the lessons of the past, furthering failed tough-on-crime policies that led to our current mass incarceration crisis.”In a letter last Thursday to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Choi pointed out that President Donald on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, that they would have recommendations soon “because most of them know many of the answers before they begin.”“It is now patently obvious that he was correct — that this process had no intention of engaging in a thoughtful and open analysis,” Choi wrote, saying it would instead fuel “divisions between our communities and our police officers.”A U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson could not be reached for comment Friday night. A DOJ official told the published Friday, that Choi had not actually resigned because the work was already done. And the two chairs of the working group that Choi was a member of, including former federal prosecutor Jay Town, were critical of him.Town, who was appointed by Trump to serve as the U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Alabama and who stepped down in July, told the Huffington Post in an interview: “(T)he individual commissioners, unlike Choi, took their role on the commission very seriously and had genuine purpose in identifying ways in which our justice system might improve for every American.”He also told the publication he didn’t think Choi was “a bad guy” and said, “I just think he is seizing on a moment and doing so after literally offering very little in substance.”Trump signed an executive order in October to create the commission and Barr announced its formation in January, saying it would focus on how “mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness affect the ability of law enforcement to police.” They were charged with assessing “how other government resources (e.g. education, business, and social services) can cooperatively tackle the social ills that contribute to crime.”On May 29, four days after George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody, Choi and a district attorney in Kansas wrote to presidential commission members, saying:Over the summer, the Ramsey County attorney’s office was one of three offices across the country focused on strategically shaking up traditional prosecutorial approaches in the name of racial equity.“We need policies and recommendations that are designed to be smart on crime — to prioritize limited taxpayer dollars, build meaningful trust with our communities and keep our residents and officers safe,” Choi wrote to Barr last week.While Choi said there were some “substantive conversations” in his work group, he also wrote to Barr that he had “little confidence that the concerns and perspectives of those who are peacefully taking to the streets right now, who have been advocating that overpolicing disproportionately impacts people of color and those in under-resourced communities, are included in the commission’s recommendations to you.”Choi requested that his name be removed from working group members associated with the final report.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Sign up for Newsletters and AlertsFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | Pioneer PressRamsey County Attorney John Choi submitted a letter of resignation from a presidential criminal justice commission, saying it became obvious the process “was intent on providing cover for a predetermined agenda that ignores the lessons of the past, furthering failed tough-on-crime policies that led to our current mass incarceration crisis.”In a letter last Thursday to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Choi pointed out that President Donald on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, that they would have recommendations soon “because most of them know many of...

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Mara H. Gottfried

Twin Cities news, sports, politics, entertainment and business from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota's first newspaper.

Ramsey County Attorney Choi resigns from presidential commission, saying it had ‘predetermined agenda’

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