U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush
Rush accuses DOJ official of lying
Says never spoke with Laquan McDonald’s mother
By Tim Hadac
U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st) essentially accused the Biden Administration of lying this month, in the wake an announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice would not prosecute the police officer convicted of murdering Laquan McDonald.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush
The congressman was reacting to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John R. Lausch Jr.’s assertion that his decision not to further prosecute former CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke “was made in consultation with Mr. McDonald’s family” and that Lausch “has spoken with a representative of Mr. McDonald’s family on multiple occasions over the past three years, including recently, to discuss the factors the Department of Justice considers when deciding to bring a second prosecution. The family was in agreement not to pursue a second prosecution.”
In 2018 Van Dyke was convicted of murder in the Oct. 20, 2014 shooting of 17-year-old McDonald on the street near 41st and Pulaski. He served time for the murder and has been released.
“The statement given by U.S. Attorney John Lausch regarding the McDonald family’s wishes are inconsistent with what Laquan McDonald’s mother and grandmother have told me, directly,” Rush said in a statement. “These women were McDonald’s closest family members and have been vocal in their demands for justice, but Lausch’s office has never contacted them regarding the case. It is unimaginable to me that the U.S. Attorney states that he is speaking to the family but not consulting the mother, especially when the crime involves the murder of her only child.”
Rush added that “greater communication and clarification must occur between the family and U.S. Attorney Lausch’s office. This absolutely needs to happen, and I sincerely stand ready to facilitate that.”
Lausch has not responded to Rush’s claims.
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