"I REALLY DON'T FEEL IN MY GUT any need to go charge Crystal Mangum," lawyer Wade Smith of Raleigh said. "I understand the philosophy that people shouldn't be able to just do this and get away with it. On the other hand, I'm not sure that it enhances our society any, our civilization any, to now bring the power down upon her."

"Mangum, he said, 'is just one human being.' The reason the prosecution moved forward, he said, was because Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong failed to investigate the case. Smith said Nifong did not look into Magnum's history of alcohol abuse and psychological instability."

Mr. Smith represented Collin Finnerty. Mr. Smith's law firm's online profile of him states in part: "In 1973 Mr Smith was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives and was reelected in 1975. In 1977 he retired from politics to devote full time to the practice of law. In 1985 he was elected to a one-year term as chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party."

There are racist blacks as well as racist whites, and that needs to be appreciated if racial progress is to be made.

The North Carolina Democrat establishment may find it helpful not to prosecute false accuser Crystal Gail Mangum and to pretend that the problem was just an individual--Durham County, North Carolina District Attorney Michael B. Nifong--failing to investigate properly, but that is revisionist history covering up the racist component of the prosecution and a deeper corruption problem. Do not be deceived: Mr. Nifong would not have prosecuted if Ms. Mangum was white or the defendants were black. He was playing the race card. He would not have concealed exculpatory DNA evidence and lied to both the court and defense counsel if he was not playing the race card and banking on a black bloc vote to elect him.

Ms. Mangum may or may not be deluded. She surely filled a false rape report. Ignoring it would be wrong. There are racist blacks as well as racist whites, and that needs to be appreciated if racial progress is to be made. It was appropriate of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper to add that the evidence showed that Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were innocent of the heinous first-degree felony charges on which they were indicted, but let's not idolize him for telling the truth and let's not forget that he did nothing to help the situation until Durham County, North Carolina District Attorney Michael B. Nifong asked him to replace him on the Duke case.

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- The Role Played in The Rape Hoax by Television Host Nancy Grace -