Top DOJ Official Refuses to Affirm 1st Amendment Rights

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wwv9l6W8yc&w=420&h=315]In a Constitution Subcommittee hearing, Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) questioned Assistant Attorney General, Thomas Perez, over the Administration's commitment to 1st Amendment rights. Franks' questions were prompted by a Daily Caller article from late last year in which Perez was quoted as warmly embracing the proposals of Islamist advocates in a meeting at George Washington University, among them a request for "a legal declaration that U.S. citizens’ criticism of Islam constitutes racial discrimination."Perez reportedly ended the meeting with an enthusiastic closing speech and was quoted as saying, “I sat here the entire time, taking notes…I have some very concrete thoughts … in the aftermath of this.”In yesterday's hearing, Chairman Franks asked Perez to affirm that the Administration would "never entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion?" Perez refused.