Cynthia McKinney

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Cynthia McKinney
United States Representative from Georgia's 4th district
In office 1993 - 2003, 2005 - 2007
Preceded by	John Linder Denise Majette
Succeeded by	Denise Majette, Hank Johnson (elect)
Born	March 17, 1955 Atlanta, Georgia
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Coy Grandison (divorced)
Religion	Roman Catholic
1Hank Johnson defeated McKinney in the Democratic primary and will replace her in the House on January 3, 2007.

Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A Democrat, McKinney served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003, and returned in 2005, representing Georgia's fourth congressional district. The district includes most of DeKalb County, a largely suburban county east of Atlanta, as well as adjacent sections of Gwinnett County and Rockdale County.

McKinney was defeated in the 2006 Democratic primary,^[1] losing her Congressional seat for the second time.

Contents 1 Early life and political career 2 Service in the U.S. House of Representatives 3 Honors and recognition 4 2002 Primary defeat 5 Between terms 6 2004 return to Congress 6.1 9/11 commission and government secrecy issues 6.2 Hurricane Katrina 6.3 Anti-war, human rights, and impeachment efforts 6.4 Sponsored legislation 7 The Capitol Police incident 7.1 Background 7.2 Police report, media frenzy and charges 7.3 The Congressional pin debate 7.4 Initial reactions 7.5 Accused of "Playing the race card" 7.6 Apology 7.7 Potential legal consequences 7.8 The charge is dropped 8 Other controversies 9 2006 primary and primary runoff 10 References 11 External links

Early life and political career

McKinney was born in Atlanta, the daughter of Billy McKinney, one of Atlanta's first African-American law enforcement officers and a former Georgia State Representative, and Leola McKinney, a retired nurse. She currently lives in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain. She is a Roman Catholic, one of the few members of that faith to have electoral success in heavily Protestant Georgia ^{[citation needed]}.

She earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, a Masters of Art in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and she is expected to complete a Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley.

Her political career began in 1986 when her father, Billy McKinney, a representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, submitted his daughter's name as a write-in candidate for the Georgia state house. She received about 40 percent of the popular vote despite the fact that she lived in Jamaica at the time with then-husband Coy Grandison (with whom she had a son, Coy McKinney, now age 20). In 1988, McKinney ran for the same seat and won, making the McKinneys the first father and daughter to simultaneously serve in the Georgia state house.

McKinney immediately challenged House rules requiring women to wear dresses by wearing slacks. In 1991, she spoke out against the Persian Gulf War, causing many legislators to walk out in protest at her remarks.

Service in the U.S. House of Representatives

In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the member of Congress from the newly-created 11th District, a 64 percent black-majority district stretching from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the House. She was handily reelected in 1994.

In 1995 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Johnson that the 11th district was an unconstitutional gerrymander because the boundaries were racially discriminatory. McKinney's district was subsequently renumbered the 4th and redrawn to take in almost all of DeKalb County, prompting a response of outrage from McKinney. She asserted that it was a racially-discriminatory ruling, given the fact that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that Texas's 6th district, which is 91 percent white, was constitutional.^[2]

The new 4th, however, was no less Democratic than the 11th, and McKinney was reelected from this district in 1996, 1998 and 2000 with no substantive opposition. McKinney lost her seat in 2002 after losing the primary election (details below). She regained her seat in 2004, when it was open due to Denise Majette's run for U.S. Senate. In 2006, she was opposed in the Democratic primary by Hank Johnson and John Coyne III. She led the July 18 primary, with Johnson coming in second, but the race continued to an August 8 runoff, because no candidate received 50 percent of the votes cast.[1] McKinney lost the primary election runoff 59 percent to 41 percent to Johnson on August 8, 2006: Hank Johnson 41,178 59% Cynthia McKinney 28,832 41%.^[3]

Honors and recognition

McKinney has been featured in a full-length motion picture titled American Blackout. On April 14, 2006, she received the key to the city of Sarasota, Florida and was doubly honored when the city named April 8th as "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Day” in Sarasota.

On June 14, 2000, Rep. McKinney was honored when part of Memorial Drive, a major thoroughfare running through her district, was renamed "Cynthia McKinney Parkway." Memorial Drive leads from south Atlanta to Stone Mountain. Her father had previously been honored when a portion of Interstate 285 in Atlanta was dedicated as "Billy McKinney Parkway."

2002 Primary defeat

In 2002, McKinney was defeated in the Democratic primary by DeKalb County judge Denise Majette.^[4] It was stunning by itself that Majette, who had never run in a partisan contest before, was able to unseat the seemingly entrenched McKinney. However, Majette won by an overwhelming margin, garnering 58% of the vote to McKinney's 42%.

McKinney protested the result in court, claiming that thousands of Republicans, knowing they had no realistic chance of defeating her in November, had participated in the Democratic primary to vote against McKinney in revenge for her anti-Bush administration views and allegations of possible voter fraud in Florida in the 2000 Presidential Election. Like twenty other states, Georgia operates an open primary; voters do not claim a political party when they register to vote, and may participate in whichever party's primary election they choose. Thus, relying on the Supreme Court's decision in California Democratic Party v. Jones, which had held that California's blanket primary violated the First Amendment (despite the fact that the Court explicitly differentiated - albeit in dicta - the blanket primary from the open primary in Jones), on McKinney's behalf, five voters claimed that the open primary system was unconstitutional, operating in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the associational right protected by the First Amendment, and various statutory rights protected by §2 of the Voting Rights Act.[2] The district court dismissed the case, noting that the plaintiffs had presented no evidence in support of the Equal Protection and VRA claims, and lacked standing to bring the First Amendment claim. It interpreted the Supreme Court's Jones ruling to hold that the right to association involved in a dispute over a primary - and thus, standing to sue - belongs to a political party, not an individual voter. On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this result (Osburn v. Cox, 369 F.3d 1283 (2004)) in May 2004, noting that not only were the plaintiffs' claims meritless, but the remedy they requested would likely be unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's decision in Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut. On October 18, 2004, the Supreme Court brought an end to the litigation, denying certiorari without comment (Osburn v. Georgia, 04-217) (cert denied, 541 U.S. __).[3]

Other factors in her defeat were her controversial statements regarding 9/11^[5] and her reported support of Palestinian causes and her condemnation of human rights abuses against Palestians by Israel.^{[citation needed]} Indeed, many pro-Israel lobbying groups donated money to Majette during the primary.^{[citation needed]} On the night before the primary election, McKinney's father stated on Atlanta television that "Jews have bought everyone... J-E-W-S" in the election, presumably referring to AIPAC involvement in orchestrating the "erase Cynthia" campaign.^[6] However, one authority has claimed that Majette's contributors were primarily individuals and PACs affiliated with big business and other special interests that surpassed that of the 'pro-Israel' groups.".^[7] Others have argued that fabricated quotes circulated in the New York Times, National Public Radio and other metropolitan dailies also had a part in her defeat.^[8]

Between terms

McKinney wrote in CounterPunch on September 13, 2002 that Judge Joe Brown told the Congressional Black Caucus unequivocally that the "murder rifle" was not the weapon that killed Dr. Martin Luther King.^[9]

McKinney traveled widely as a public speaker during her term out of office.

Throughout 2003 and 2004, McKinney toured America and much of Europe speaking of her defeat, her opposition to the Iraq War, and the Bush administration.

In a January 2004 issue of Jet magazine, McKinney said that the "white, rich Democratic boys club wanted her to stay in the back of the bus."

On September 9, 2004, McKinney participated as a Commissioner in the The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. On Oct. 26, 2004, she was among 100 prominent Americans and 40 family members of those killed on 9/11 that signed the 9/11 Truth Movement statement calling for new investigations of what they perceived as unexplained aspects of the 9/11 events including allegations of failure of US intelligence to act on warnings of upcoming attacks, the breakdown of military air defense, and omissions and distortions in the official investigations.^[10]

Speculation suggested that she was considering a run as the Green Party's nominee for the 2004 presidential election. However, she had made no secret that she wanted her old congressional seat back, and turned down the Green Party nomination.

2004 return to Congress

Majette declined to run for reelection to the House, opting instead to become a candidate to replace retiring Senator Zell Miller, a conservative Democrat. McKinney instantly became the favorite in the Democratic primary. Since it was taken for granted that whoever won the Democratic primary would be the district's next congressman, McKinney's opponents focused on clearing the field for a single candidate who could force her into a runoff election. They apparently hoped in the interim to drive up McKinney's negatives enough to make it easier to defeat her in the runoff.

However, her opponents' efforts were unsuccessful, and five candidates entered the Democratic primary. As a result of the fragmented primary opposition, McKinney won just enough votes to avoid a runoff. This all but assured her return to Congress after a two-year absence. However, in a break from traditional practice, the House Democratic Caucus did not restore her seniority. If her seniority had been restored, McKinney would have been a senior Democrat as ranking member of the International Relations Committee—a post currently held by California Congressman Tom Lantos, who also chairs the Human Rights Caucus. Lantos is considered to be strongly pro-Israel.

McKinney hosted the first delegation of Afro-Latinos from Central and South America and worked with the World Bank and the U.S. State Department to recognize Afro-Latinos. She stood with Aboriginals against Australian mining companies; and with the U'wa people of Colombia in their fight to save their sacred land from oil rigs.

9/11 commission and government secrecy issues

Initially, McKinney kept a low profile upon her return to Congress. However, on July 22, 2005, the first anniversary of the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, McKinney held a well-attended congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to address outstanding issues regarding the September 11, 2001, attacks.^[11] The day-long briefing featured family members of victims, scholars, former intelligence officers and others who critiqued the 9/11 Commission account of 9/11 and its recommendations. The four morning panels purported to address flaws, omissions, and the lack of historical and political analysis in the commission's report. Three afternoon panels critiqued the commission's recommendations in the areas of foreign and domestic policy, and intelligence reform. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial maintained that the purpose of the event was to discuss whether or not the Bush administration was involved in the 9/11 attacks, expressing surprise that McKinney was once again taking on the issue which was widely believed to have been the one that cost her House seat. The Journal-Constitution refused to publish McKinney's reply.^[12]

McKinney's interest in 9/11 relates specifically to what she expresses as her opposition to excessive government secrecy. She has submitted to Congress two versions of the same bill, the "MLK Records Act" (one in 2003, the other in 2005,) which, if signed into law, would release all currently sealed files concerning the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr..^[13] These records were sealed in 1978 and are not due to be declassified until the year 2028. Likewise, the 9/11 Commission has sealed all the notes and transcripts of some 2,000 interviews, all the forensic evidence, and both classified and non-classified documents used in compiling its final report until January, 2009. Documents relating to the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, which McKinney has taken an active interest in, would be released under another bill introduced by Rep. McKinney. In a statement, McKinney explained her reason for the bill: "The public has the right to know because he was a well-known figure. There is intense public interest in the life and death of Tupac Shakur.” Critics assert she is merely pandering to her power base. Others point out that legislation demanding release of records is a more direct route than the tedious process and limited scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

She held in March 24, 2005 a talk with Rumsfeld and others regarding 9/11 and other issues.^[14]

Hurricane Katrina

McKinney has been an advocate for victims of Hurricane Katrina and a critic of the government's response. Over 100,000 evacuees from New Orleans and Mississippi have moved to the Atlanta area, and many have settled there.

Despite the Democratic Party leadership's call for a boycott, McKinney was an active participant in the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina.^[15] She sat as a guest along with only a few other Democrats. In questioning Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, McKinney referred to a news story in which the owners of a nursing home were charged with negligent homicide for abandoning 34 clients who died in the flood waters. McKinney asked Chertoff: "Mr. Secretary, if the nursing home owners are arrested for negligent homicide, why shouldn't you also be arrested for negligent homicide?"^[16]

During the Katrina crisis, evacuees were turned away by the Gretna Police when they attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection Bridge between New Orleans and Gretna, Louisiana. [4] In retaliation, McKinney introduced a bill [5], on November 2, 2005, that would temporarily deny federal assistance to the City of Gretna Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Crescent City Connection Division Police Department, in the state of Louisiana.

The Congressional Black Caucus' Omnibus Bill (HR 4197) was introduced on November 2, 2005 to provide a comprehensive response to the Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. The second title of the bill was submitted by McKinney, and seeks a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan, or CESTAP, to minimize harm to Gulf Coast residents from the toxic releases into the environment caused by the hurricane.^[17]

At the request of McKinney, the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, chaired by Thomas M. Davis held a previously unscheduled hearing titled "Voices Inside the Storm" on December 6, 2005.

More recently, Rep. McKinney along with Rep. Barbara Lee (CA), produced a "Katrina Legislative Summary," a chart summarizing House and Senate bills on Hurricane Katrina. On June 13, 2006, McKinney pointed out on the House Floor that only a dozen of the 176 Katrina bills identified on the chart had passed into law, leaving 163 bills stalled in committee.

Anti-war, human rights, and impeachment efforts

Until 2000, McKinney served on the House International Relations Committee, where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights Subcommittee. McKinney felt that it was important that US policy reflect a deep respect for human rights, so she worked on legislation to stop conventional weapons transfers to governments which are undemocratic or fail to respect human rights. Her legislation to end the mining of coltan in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was mentioned in the United Nations Security Council's "Special Report on Ituri," January 2002-December 2003.

On November 18, 2005, McKinney was one of only 3 (out of 406) to vote for H.R. 571, introduced by House Armed Services Committee chairman Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, on which McKinney sits. Hunter, a Republican, offered this resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq in place of John Murtha's H.J.Res. 73, which called for redeployment "at the earliest possible date." In her prepared statement, McKinney accused the Republicans of "trying to set a trap for the Democrats. A 'no' vote for this Resolution will obscure the fact that there is strong support for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq ... In voting for this bill, let me be perfectly clear that I am not saying the United States should exit Iraq without a plan. I agree with Mr. Murtha that security and stability in Iraq should be pursued through diplomacy. I simply want to vote yes to an orderly withdrawal from Iraq."

Rep. McKinney is a co-sponsor of Rep. John Conyers's H.R. 635, which would create a Select Committee to look into potential grounds for the impeachment of President Bush. On January 20th, 2006, she also signed a statement by the group The World Can't Wait called Drive Out the Bush Regime. On December 9th McKinney submitted legislation before Congress for the Impeachment of President Bush. [6] The Nation

Sponsored legislation

On December 19, 2005 HR 2077, a bill to establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in Georgia and provide a management plan for the Area passed the House and was referred to the senate. The same bill had been introduced with near identical languaage as H.R. 2297. The bill was first introduced in 2001. Under the bill, the use of federal funds to acquire land or an interest in the land of the Area is prohibited.

More recently, McKinney sponsored H.R. 4279, which would rename the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building after the late senator Frank Church, and H.R.4968, "To provide for the expeditious disclosure of records relevant to the life and death of Tupac Amaru Shakur."

At the end of the 2006 legislative session, McKinney introduced largely symbolic legislation for articles of impeachment against President Bush. In the bill, she accused Bush of misleading Congress on the war in Iraq and violating privacy laws with his domestic spying program. McKinney had long maintained that Bush was illegitimately elected and had lied about 9-11 in order for him to allow his friends to personally profit from the attack.Breitbart News

The Capitol Police incident

On the morning of March 29, 2006, McKinney entered the Longworth House Office Building's southeast entrance and proceeded past the check point, walking around the metal detector. Members of Congress have identifying lapel pins and are not required to pass through metal detectors. The officers present failed to recognize her as a Member of Congress because she was not wearing the appropriate identification.^[18] She proceeded westward down the ground floor hallway, and about half way down the hallway was grabbed by United States Capitol Police officer Paul McKenna, who states that he had been calling after her "Ma'am, Ma'am!" McKinney responded by hitting the police officer.

Background

There is a history of incidents involving the United States Capitol Police officers' failure to recognize Rep. McKinney. In 1993, when a U.S. Capitol Police officer had failed to recognize Rep. McKinney at a House office building entryway and a disagreement ensued, a picture of Rep. McKinney was posted at House office building check points for all officers.

Another incident involved a complaint that White House security officials mistook Rep. McKinney's 23-year-old white aide for a Congresswoman and Rep. McKinney as the aide.^[19][20]

Police report, media frenzy and charges

Officer McKenna did not arrest Rep. McKinney at the time of the incident. Rather, he later filed a police report. The following is his exact statement, with C-1 referring to himself and S-1 to Rep. McKinney:

"On 3-29-06, at approximately 0855 hrs. C-1 while performing his official duties as United States Capitol Police Officer and in full uniform, stated that he was physically assaulted by S-1. S-1 struck C-1 in his chest with a closed fist."

The police report states that she struck him "with a closed fist," with no mention of a cell phone.^[21]

Since the altercation took place half way down the hall, the only thing the security cameras at the check point could have captured is Rep. McKinney walking past the metal detector and turning left down the hall and off camera, and the subsequent pursuit by Officer McKenna. U.S. Capitol Police clarified that altercation was not captured on security camera.

The Congressional pin debate

McKinney was criticized in the media for failing to wear her pin on the morning of March 29, 2006, with critics charging that her failure to do so led to the confrontation. Many other Members do not wear the pin, even after the whole McKinney-McKenna affair. A July 5, 2006 article in The Hill titled "Pinpoint: After McKinney, many lawmakers still dress without their congressional pins" noted "no discernable pattern" in the decision by Members of Congress regarding the wearing of the Congressional Pin. Notably, House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) went on record that he was "not a pin-wearing guy." Another Republican Member, Sherwood Boehlert (NY) explained his reason for not wearing a pin, stating "I know who I am." Democratic Member George Miller (CA) said "I've never worn one. I have enough trouble combing my hair in the morning."

McKinney admitted that she was not wearing her pin that morning, but opined that the police responsible for protecting lawmakers should recognize the 435 members of Congress on sight and claimed to have shown her Congressional identification badge.^[22] (See, e.g., A. Jabari, McKinney's Hair & Affair, in The Washington Post, 4/10/06).

Initial reactions

Initially defiant, McKinney made a brief statement on her own behalf at Howard University on March 31: "Let me be clear: this whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman. I deeply regret this incident occurred, and I am certain that after a full review of the facts, I will be exonerated."

However, McKinney garnered little support even among fellow Democrats. Not one Congressional Democrat chose to join her at a news conference to discuss the situation at Howard University, although Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton sent a supportive statement to be read at the event. Initially stating on March 31st that "wouldn't make a big deal" out of the incident, Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) later said on April 5 that she found "it hard to see any set of facts that would justify striking a police officer,"^[23] and McKinney's fellow Georgia Democrat, Rep. John Lewis, told McKinney that "she needs to lower the temperature and stop holding press conferences."^[24] Outside of Capitol Hill, the Sarasota Democratic Party withdrew from a rally at which McKinney was due to speak.^[25]

Rep. McKinney declined to discuss the details of the altercation in subsequent media interviews. She has not formally shared her side of the altercation with the public, including: 1) whether she had heard the officer calling after her, or if so, knew that she was the "Ma'am" being called; 2) whether she was aware that an officer of the law was grabbing her, and therefore, assuming she swung her arm in a retaliatory motion: 3) whether she was aware that she was striking an officer of the law; and also: 4) the amount of force behind the alleged blow. The basic facts of the event, aside from Rep. McKinney's failure to wear her pin, thus remain in dispute. However, no one, including Rep. McKinney, has ever explained why she has never told her side of the story, or attempt to clear up any dispute in the facts.

Accused of "Playing the race card"

The story was picked up by many blogs and internet opinion sites with overwhelming rebuke for McKinney coming from conservatives, and even liberal-leaning sources offering negative portrayals of Rep. McKinney, as on the comedy show Saturday Night Live, which lampooned her repeatedly on their 4/8/06 show for "playing the race card." On April 3, former Wonkette editor Ana Marie Cox, interviewed on Joe Scarborough's MSNBC show Scarborough Country, said that "I worry that she [McKinney] makes us [Democrats] all look a little crazy." [7] Within a few days of the first reports, McKinney had been variously described as a "crazy bitch", "race baiter", "freak", etc. Some columns even went so far as to analyze her hairstyle in a negative light and question the quick participation of Harry Belafonte, who is generally regarded as a political polarizing agent and also the recipient of frequent negative commentary due to his public statements.

Reacting to the sudden rise in stakes reflected by the potential for criminal indictment, McKinney's attorney, James Myart, spoke in a March 31 news conference, suggesting that the officer involved be criminally investigated for accosting ("inappropriately touching") the congresswoman. This charge was not taken seriously by most commentators and media outlets. Myart went on to say the case typified a pattern of police harassment of black Americans: "my belief is this is no different than that: 'they all look alike'.^[26] On April 25, 2006, CNN reported that one of Rep. McKinney's lawyers was no longer representing her, that lawyer being Myart. Recently retired U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer rejected Myart's charge in an interview with CNN:

"I've seen our officers stop white members and black members, Latinos, male and females . . . It's not an issue about what your race or gender is. It's an issue about making sure people who come into our building are recognized if they're not going through the magnetometer, and this officer at that moment didn't recognize her . . . It would have been real easy, as most members of Congress do, to say here's who I am or do you know who I am?"

She has repeatedly stressed that in her view the incident arose from the police failure to recognize her face, suggesting that in her view the above-mentioned pattern of incidents in which Capitol Police failed to recognize her as a Member of Congress had to do with a general tendency by police in the United States to engage in racial profiling of blacks, where blacks are stereotyped as more likely to commit crime than other groups in society, and therefore tend to handle blacks more roughly.

Apology

On April 6, 2006, after the grand jury was convened to investigate, the Associated Press reported that McKinney had expressed "sincere regret" for the altercation and offered an apology to the House. "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident," McKinney said in a one-minute statement on the House floor, surrounded by Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus. What McKinney called a "misunderstanding" on April 6, she had labeled "racial profiling" and "inappropriate touching" a day earlier. For nearly a week, she and her lawyers had insisted she had been assaulted and had done nothing wrong. Various commentators, including the Wall Street Journal questioned the sincerity of the apology,^[27] noting, among other things, its careful wording, the lack of admission of culpability, and the absence of an apology specifically to the Capitol Police and Officer McKenna.^[28]

Potential legal consequences

News reports variously suggested that the police officer as an individual or the capitol police as a whole were planning to file assault charges. On April 3, 2006, Assistant U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips announced that Capitol Police had referred the incident to his office for further investigation.^[29] On April 5, the Associated Press reported that the case might be referred to a federal grand jury.^[30] A sitting Grand Jury was subsequently presented with McKenna's charge of assault of a police officer. Six witnesses were called by the U.S. Attorney's office.

The charge is dropped

On June 16, 2006, the grand jury declined to indict Rep. McKinney, finding insufficient grounds to proceed.^[31] Under 18 U.S.C. §111(a), McKinney faced a fine or not more than one year in jail if convicted of assaulting an "officer or employee of the United States".

Article I, section 6 of the United States Constitution prevents the arrest of a member of Congress "except [for] treason, felony and breach of the peace . . . during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same;" while this does not prevent the charge and arrest of a member of Congress for a crime committed during the session, it does preclude their arrest for such a crime for the duration of the session during which the crime was committed. This would have delayed criminal proceedings until Congress next adjourned; although the grand jury could have indicted McKinney while Congress was in session, that warrant could not have been served until Congress was adjourned.

It has been suggested [8] that McKinney's allegations of racism and sexism were overplayed on her part and have had a boomerang effect. Rep. McKinney's supporters argue that the reporting of the incident presumed her guilty until proven innocent, that her conservative opponents overplayed their hand by attacking her in such vicious terms (on March 31, libertarian radio host Neal Boortz said McKinney "looks like a "Ghetto slut").

Though not indicted for criminal charges or subjected to disciplinary action by the House, McKinney may face a civil suit. The president of the Fraternal Order of Police has advocated the filing of a civil suit by Officer McKenna.^[32]

Other controversies

Cynthia McKinney has been involved in controversies before. In the wake of the March 29 incident with the Capitol Police officer, Rep. McKinney was still very much "in the news" and her office invited the media to attend one of her monthly "District Days," where she spends one full day meeting with constituents to discuss issues of concern. At her April 23, 2006, "District Days" event, Rep. McKinney was being interviewed by WGCL's Renee Starzyk, who rather than asking questions about District Days as McKinney would have liked, repeatedly questioned her about the March 29th scuffle with a Capitol Police officer. Frustrated, McKinney stood up, and forgot she was still wearing the microphone. Her off screen comments were captured on tape. She was heard saying, "Oh, crap, now you know what... they lied to Coz and Coz is a fool."^[33] She was referring to one of her aides, Coz Carson. McKinney realized the embarrassing mistake and returned on screen with the microphone, this time with instructions on what parts of the interview CBS 46 was allowed to use, "anything that is captured by your audio...that is captured while I'm not seated in this chair is off the record and is not permissible to be used... is that understood?"^[34] Her comments were immediately aired on CBS and eventually across the nation: CNN video Link to video: McKinney Caught On-Air Blasting Aide.

In a 2002 interview on Pacifica Radio McKinney questioned the Bush administration's possible prior knowledge of the September 11, 2001 attacks:^[35]

We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11... Those engaged in unusual stock trades immediately before September 11 knew enough to make millions of dollars from United and American airlines, certain insurance and brokerage firms' stocks. What did the Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?

—"Flashpoints" with Dennis Bernstein, KFPA Pacifica Radio

These remarks provoked criticism, and many Democrats distanced themselves from McKinney's statements. On April 12, 2002, McKinney issued a statement saying that "I am not aware of any evidence showing that President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11. A complete investigation might reveal this to be the case."

In a controversial remark, McKinney said that on September 13, 2002, Judge Joe Brown had stated unequivocally that the purported murder rifle was not the weapon that killed Dr. Martin Luther King.^[36]

On October 12, 2001 (approximately the one-month anniversary of the September 11 attacks), McKinney sent a letter to Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal that was highly critical of the way Israel responds to terrorist attacks, and not at all critical of the terrorist attacks upon Israel. [9] McKinney further suggested that the money that the prince donated for 9/11 relief that had been rejected by Rudolph Giuliani be redirected toward charities chosen by McKinney. McKinney's supporters say the letter was appropriate; her critics describe it as "fawning" and "disgraceful."

During the 2000 presidential campaign, McKinney wrote that "Al Gore's Negro tolerance level has never been too high. I've never known him to have more than one black person around him at any given time." The Gore campaign pointed out, however, that his campaign manager was black.^[20]

2006 primary and primary runoff

Main article: Georgia 4th congressional district election, 2006

McKinney finished first in the July 18, 2006 Democratic primary, edging DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson 47.1% to 44.4%, with a third candidate receiving 8.5%.^[37] However, since McKinney failed to get at least 50% of the vote, she and Johnson were forced into a run-off. McKinney had been heavily favored to win, so her narrow margin surprised observers. Johnson picked up support because he seemed to have a real possibility of winning.

In the runoff of August 8, 2006, although there were about 8,000 more voters than in the primary, McKinney received about the same number of votes as in July. Johnson won with 41,178 votes (59%) to McKinney's 28,832 (41%).^[38] According to CNN, during her concession speech, McKinney barely mentioned her opponent but praised Marxist leaders in Cuba and Venezuela [taken to be Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez], took aim at the efficacy of electronic voting machines and offered several swipes at the media.^[39][40]

McKinney's 2002 campaign and statements had been characterized by some as anti-Semitic,^{[41][42][43][44][45]} and controversy erupted again when one of her "supporters" blamed "Jews" for her defeat.^[46] McKinney maintains that she opposes anti-Semitism and responded to the controversy with this statement:

"The people who made those remarks were not associated with my campaign in any formal way, and I want to make clear from this hour that any informal ties between me and my campaign and anyone holding or espousing such views are cut and renounced."

McKinney added, "Anyone who makes blanket denunciations of Jews or "the Jew" is certainly not a supporter of mine, not a staff member, not a consultant to, nor is welcome to be a volunteer in my campaign," despite a similar statement by her father in the past.^[47]

References

External links

• Official House website
• 2006 campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Controversial letter to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
• Cynthia McKinney's campaign donor list newsmeat.com
• Cynthia McKinney's Arab and Islamist Donors, by Daniel Pipes
• Deconstructing Cynthia McKinney - November 5, 1999, JewishTimes.com
• The Attack on Cynthia McKinney Counterpunch, August 21, 2002
• Cynthia McKinney: Live in Brooklyn. Quicktime Video. 11:30 minutes. Directed by Stephen Marshall. Guerrilla News Network. 2003. Retrieved May 12, 2005.
• Cynthia McKinney on Democracy Now!:

• Congressmember Cynthia Mckinney Under Fire: A Discussion with Georgia's First African-American Congresswoman - August 12, 2002
• Progressive Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Loses Controversial Primary - August 21, 2002
• Former U.S. Rep. Cynthia Mckinney Speaks Out On the Unseen Costs of War - April 16, 2003
• Fmr. Rep. Cynthia McKinney Seeking to Win Back Georgia Seat - July 19, 2004
• New Orleans Evacuees and Activists Testify at Explosive House Hearing on the Role of Race and Class in Government's Response to Hurricane Katrina - December 9, 2005

• H.R. 2297 H.R. 2297: To establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, and for other purposes
• H. R. 2554 To provide for the expeditious disclosure of records relevant to the life and assassination of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (pdf version) - May 23, 2005
• H. R. 4139: To minimize harm to populations impacted by the release of environmental contaminants, hazardous materials or infectious materials in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by providing for a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan (CESTAP) to assess and monitor air, water, soil and human populations, and for other purposes. (pdf version) - October 25, 2005
• H CON 274 (pdf version) Reaffirming the continued importance and applicability of the Posse Comitatus Act - October 25, 2005
• H. R. 4210: To provide for the expeditious disclosure of records relevant to the life and death of Tupac Amaru Shakur. (pdf version) - November 2, 2005
• HR 4209 To temporarily deny Federal assistance to the City of Gretna Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Crescent City Connection Division Police Department in the State of Louisiana for their maltreatment of individuals seeking aid during the Hurricane Katrina crisis, and for other purposes - November 2, 2005
• McKinney roils hurricane panel - Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 20, 2005
• McKinney: Republicans seek to silence dissent on Iraq war - Final Call, November 18, 2005
• Nuclear Plants Safe? Claim is Unsound - Atlanta Journal Constitution, November 24, 2005
• Congresswoman Not Suing 'Atlanta Journal-Constitution' for Libel
• Johnson is candidate of common sense
• Voters can see through McKinney
• Oil Empire page of Rep. McKinney speeches
• Cynthia McKinney Accuses Capitol Police of Racial Profiling
• Capitol police chief faults McKinney for escalating incident (CNN)
• "The Last Plantation", an interview with four African American Police Officers

Preceded by District created	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th congressional district January 3, 1993 – 1997	Succeeded by John Linder
Preceded by John Linder	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th congressional district 1997 – January 3, 2003	Succeeded by Denise Majette
Preceded by Denise Majette	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th congressional district January 3, 2005 – 2007	Succeeded by Hank Johnson

Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Saxby Chambliss (R), Johnny Isakson (R) Representative(s): Jack Kingston (R), Sanford Bishop (D), Jim Marshall (D), Cynthia McKinney (D), John Lewis (D), Tom Price (R), John Linder (R), Lynn Westmoreland (R), Charlie Norwood (R), Nathan Deal (R), Phil Gingrey (R), John Barrow (D), David Scott (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands