Michael Yaki and a lapdog blog has made much of the fact that the Black Panther investigation obtained a video from someone who runs a website and sought information from Republicans about the identity of eyewitnesses.  We truly have entered an age of journalistic tempests in real world teapots.  Mike Roman was in possession of videotape.  Therefore any reasonable person would recognize you contact people who are possession of evidence, regardless of their identity.  Mike Roman and other Republicans also knew the identities of particular people who were at the polls and were possible eye witnesses.  Obtaining the identity of individuals allowes for interviews to be conducted.  That the individuals who knew the identity of the eyewitnesses happened to be Republicans was of no import.     Any investigation into a similar event would do precisely the same thing.  The Department of Justice routinely relies on the aid of groups who have agendas other than the particular investigation conducted by the Department.  For example, the ACLU, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) and the NAACP LDF routinely contact the Department with information that may be relevant in a case.  The Department even seeks out their help in investigations.  Certainly the broader agenda of these groups, including their political agendas, should play no part in whether or not information about witnesses and evidence is received, at least to rational people.  Justice lawyers routinely meet and obtain evidence from groups many Americans would disagree with, and those contacts should not be subject to scrutiny, unless of course it is necessary. 

The author of a blog inferring to the contrary has a long history of distorting facts and publishing inaccurate statements.  If the broad agenda of organizations providing evidence and information to the Department of Justice is properly subject to scrutiny, then reporters certainly have a fertile environment to write hit pieces about investigative communications with third party groups.  To the contrary, I believe it is perfectly acceptable for the Department of Justice to accept information and the names of witnesses and obtain evidence like videotapes from groups regardless of whether or not they are fringe left wing groups, civil rights organizations or mainstream political parties.  There was a time when reporters understood this fact.  Thankfully the credible ones still do.