Fellow Patriot: The voluntary financial generosity of supporters like you keeps our hard-hitting analysis coming. Please support the 2024 Year-End Campaign today. Thank you for your support! —Nate Jackson, Managing Editor

July 31, 2020

A Race-Based Case of Political Entitlement

A Memphis Democrat uses the “victim of systemic racism” defense for her theft and fraud.

There are some urban centers around the nation where the degree of “racial entitlement” and the resulting political corruption is astoundingly brazen. One of those Democrat-controlled cities is Memphis, Tennessee. This week Democrat state Senator Katrina Robinson was indicted on 24 counts of both embezzlement and wire fraud. That a politician was indicted for corruption is nothing new, but Robinson’s response to the indictment is noteworthy.

Fortunately, prosecutors with U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant’s office had the benefit of an impaneled grand jury with enough integrity to charge Robinson, who stands accused of stealing $600,000 in federal grants to her vocational school — much of that theft occurring after she was elected in 2018. Among the expenses she paid with those taxpayer funds: bills for her wedding and honeymoon and then, predictably, legal fees for her divorce; $170,000 in illegal salary payments to herself, personal debts; travel and entertainment; improvements to her personal residence; a vehicle for her daughter; clothing, accessories, and more.

Dunavant noted, “Protection of the U.S. Treasury and federal grant programs against theft, fraud, waste and abuse is a top priority of this office and the Department of Justice. We commend the F.B.I. and the HHS-OIG for their diligent and thorough investigation in this case.”

Reflecting Robinson’s warped sense of racial entitlement, she insists that this prosecution is the result of her race and that of her constituency. She claims, “It is believed that if I were not in the position that I’m in — that if I did not champion the voices, the views, and the faces that I represent — that I would not be in this moment right now.” Despite the charges, Robinson laughably added that she would continue to serve “with the same integrity, the same passion that I’ve demonstrated since you’ve elected me to this office.” In a social media post the day before her indictment, Robinson emphasized, “If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it has taught us the importance of electing good leaders. GO VOTE!”

Well, OK!

Apparently, she’s deploying the “victim of systemic racism” defense.

Robinson’s attorney, Janika White, set up Robinson’s entitlement defense, insisting the indictment “leads to what no one in this society wants, which is over-criminalization.” According to White, “That’s the idea where, sometimes, we criminalize activity that may not have any criminal intent.” In other words, “over-criminalization” is when a criminal believes she is so entitled that she does not perceive her criminal actions were a crime. That suggests the notion that theft is wrong must be a “white construct.”

Tennessee’s Senate Democratic Caucus issued a statement asserting: “Just like every other American, Senator Robinson deserves the presumption of innocence and due process under the law. Her case should be resolved by a court of law, not by the court of public opinion.” That is the kind of thing Democrats say when their Leftmedia propagandists can’t save one of their own from the “court of public opinion.”

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.