LieStoppers Response To Mr. Nifong's Press Conference

ANYBODY BUT NIFONG

for Durham County District Attorney

July 28, 2006

This morning Mike Nifong kicked off his general election campaign with a press conference at the Durham County Courthouse. In his press conference, he referred by name to our cause - ANYBODY BUT NIFONG. Mr. Nifong may believe this is only a theme for an election, but, in reality, it is much more. This is a movement of concerned citizens who have been inspired by the courage of Lewis Cheek to challenge the status quo. ANYBODY BUT NIFONG is a group devoted to the opportunity Durham citizens now have to express their condemnation of the insults to justice that have defined Mr. Nifong’s performance in his brief time as district attorney.

Mr. Nifong’s words this morning and letter this afternoon serve as further reminders of why we support ANYBODY BUT NIFONG for Durham County District Attorney. While his statements in reference to the falsely accused Duke lacrosse players may or may not have been cause for a contempt of court citation, they were indeed sufficient to inspire our contempt. No other statement in the District Attorney’s many public comments has been as revealing as his statement today that "There were things we hoped to have in terms of evidence that we ended up not having." ANYBODY BUT NIFONG believes the District Attorney for Durham County should require law enforcement to investigate evidence BEFORE charging individuals with crimes, BEFORE inciting racial divisions, and BEFORE turning Durham into a media circus.

We can’t help being taken aback by the absurdity of a campaign kickoff speech the day after a candidate’s only tangible opponent drops out of the race. We can only take this as recognition that our efforts on behalf of ANYBODY BUT NIFONG are a cause of concern for the District Attorney. We suspect as well that it is an indication that our support of ANYBODY BUT NIFONG is not a stand we take alone.

Today, Mr. Nifong mentioned being "struck by irony." For months we have waited for Mr. Nifong to be struck by the truth. It is indeed ironic that a governor- appointed district attorney would suggest that a district attorney should be selected by voters and not by the governor. How odd is it to suggest that by voicing their opinions through votes for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG the people of Durham would be doing anything other than honoring this country’s democratic tradition. Rather than wait for the truth to strike Mr. Nifong like a bolt of lightning, we urge the people of Durham to affirm this tradition and cast their vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG by choosing Cheek on November 7th.

On one point we do find ourselves in agreement with Mr. Nifong. Durham problems deserve Durham solutions. The Durham solution we suggest is electing ANYBODY BUT NIFONG District Attorney for Durham County.

This message has been brought to you by LieStoppers in support of ABN.

A vote for Cheek is a vote for ANYBODY BUT NIFONG

liestoppers@yahoo.com