Presidential candidate Cornel West had some choice words for President Joe Biden's Department of Justice amid recent reports that the progressive writer and philosopher owes more than a half-million dollars to the Internal Revenue Service.
During an interview on the popular "Breakfast Club" podcast this week, West—who is in the throes of a longshot, third-party bid for president—blasted recent reports of his unpaid taxes as a "distraction" from the greater issues facing the country, and a sign an entrenched political establishment sees his run as a threat to their power.
Later in the interview, he went into an aside in which he defended Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was convicted this year of exploiting his position to secure placement and scholarships for his son to attend the University of Southern California.
Ridley-Thomas was "convicted for nothing—for nothing—under Biden's Justice Department," West said during the wide-ranging conversation, though he did not elaborate on what he meant.
Newsweek reached out to the West campaign via email for comment.
The allegations against Ridley-Thomas—which could potentially result in a six-year prison sentence—are lengthy and detailed. According to a news release from the Department of Justice, he engaged in a criminal conspiracy with a dean at USC's School of Social Work to secure admission and scholarship for his son, former state lawmaker Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, as he battled sexual harassment allegations.
As Mark Ridley-Thomas led an alleged effort to cover up the allegations, he reportedly pushed to direct a number of city contracts to involve the Social Work School, receiving in return preferential treatment by the school for his son to work on a soft landing for his exit from the state Assembly, which he claimed was due to illness.
"When elected leaders engage in acts of corruption, our community suffers immense damage. Ridley-Thomas engaged in a corrupt conspiracy with a university dean to steer taxpayer-funded contracts to the school in exchange for benefits for his son," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement when the guilty verdict was read in March.
"Today's verdict sends a clear message to public officials that my office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who abuse their power and thereby breach the public trust."
During a sentencing hearing Monday, prosecutors recommended that Ridley-Thomas be given a six-year prison sentence in a stinging memo to U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer, saying that he used his position on the board to orchestrate a "shakedown" of top USC officials to secure favorable treatment for himself and his family members despite his own wealth and connections.
"He was uniquely positioned to serve his constituents," they wrote in a 32-page memo. "Instead, he served himself."
Ridley-Thomas, meanwhile, has accused federal agents of prosecutorial misconduct, misstatements of the law and inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the testimony by the leading FBI agent involved in the case that contributed to an unfair trial.
The court rejected the claims on the basis that the defense's allegations of prosecutorial misconduct were vague, and that the court took sufficient measures to remedy any inconsistencies that might have existed in testimony against Ridley-Thomas.
Ridley-Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14.
