PJ Media has obtained an email sent by Sherrilyn Ifill just before she was scheduled to appear on The Kelly File last week to discuss the nomination of Debo Adegbile, the lawyer who helped defend the cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal. Ifill is the head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the organization once headed by Adegbile.
In the email, Ifill begs for prayers before she “put[s] the full armor on” to go on Fox News. Notice she asks for “fervent prayers,” and finds a link between her appearance the same day at a commemoration for To Kill a Mockingbird and talking about the Mumia Abu Jamal matter. “I have to believe the 2 are somehow related.”
In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Atticus Finch defends an innocent man, Tom Robinson, from charges of rape. Mumia Abu Jamal was found guilty of killing Philadelphia police officer Danny Faulkner. Numerous appeals courts have affirmed the verdict.
Ifill ended up not appearing on the Kelly File to defend the NAACP’s role in the Mumia matter.
Ifill’s email:
>>> Sherrilyn Ifill 1/10/2014 12:45 PM >>>
It appears that I will be on FOX tonight (Megyn Kelly’s show) talking about the mounting right-wing campaign against the confirmation of a former LDF lawyer Debo Adegbile, who’s been nominated to serve as Asst. Atty General for Civil Rights.
The criticism is based on our representation of Mr. Mumia Abu-Jamal (while Mr. Adegbile was our litigation director). Mr. Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death of killing a police officer in Philadelphia in 1981. We did not represent Mr. Mumia at trial, but represented him 25 years later in a challenge to the process by which he was sentenced to death.
Attached is the statement we released today that explains LDF’s involvement in this case and our commitment to ensuring that race plays no role in the criminal justice system. The statement really explains our position and I encourage you to read it and circulate it.
I really do need your prayers tonight. I am going up into the camp and I need to put on the full armor! I plan to come out with more than I go in with, but I need you to surround me with your fervent prayers. The show will be at 9pm tonight.
Prior to the show I will be speaking at the NY Historical Society tonight introducing a showing of To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to believe the 2 are somehow related.
Sherrilyn Ifill
President & Director-Counsel
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.
40 Rector Street, 5th Fl.
New York, NY 10006
T. 212-965-2244
sif…@naacpldf.org
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