Posted on 01/03/2002 1:10:30 AM PST by kattracks
An Arab-American Secret Service agent assigned to protect President Bush has hired an attorney after being kicked off a commercial flight on Christmas Day, officials said yesterday.
The agent, whose name is being withheld for security reasons, was questioned about his identity before being barred from the American Airlines flight.
Civil rights attorney Christy Lopez of the Washington law firm Relman & Associates has taken the case, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The council has filed a civil rights complaint alleging the pilot ordered the armed agent off the plane only because he was an Arab-American.
Bush said last week that he would be "madder than heck" if his bodyguard was booted from the flight because of his ethnicity.
The American-Islamic group announced yesterday that a passenger who was sitting next to the agent on American Airlines Flight 363 has come forward alleging the agent was "kicked off the plane because of his race."
Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin declined to comment.
American Airlines claims the pilot ordered the agent off the flight to Dallas-Fort Worth because his paperwork contained "inconsistencies."
Maybe you could at least point to the post #s that you think justify your comments.
And you are questioning the motives of the American pilot ?
You have Chutzpah.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.