Statement on Debo Adegbile Appointment to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Washington, DC: FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) President Thomas O’Connor issued the following statement:

“The FBI Agents Association opposes President Obama’s appointment of Debo Adegbile to serve as a Commissioner for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 

Mr. Adegbile was previously nominated by President Obama to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights division.  The FBIAA joined other law enforcement organizations in opposing his nomination based on Mr. Adegbile’s representation of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of murdering Officer Daniel Faulkner in Philadelphia, PA in 1981.  His nomination was subsequently rejected by the U.S. Senate.

FBIAA opposes Mr. Adegbile’s appointment as a Commissioner for this same reason. Mr. Adegbile’s representation of Officer Faulkner’s murderer, and the ongoing litigation surrounding this case, resonates deeply throughout the law enforcement community.  FBIAA will never forget Office Faulkner, nor the pain that his murderer has inflicted on Office Faulkner’s family that continues to this day.”