Furor over Bush lawyer's racism in deportation case of Nigerian minister

Furor over Bush lawyer's racism in deportation case of Nigerian minister

A top Bush administration pardon lawyer was fired for making racist remarks in the case of a beloved Brooklyn minister facing deportation, the Daily News has learned.

"This might sound racist, but [the applicant] is about as honest as you could expect for a Nigerian. Unfortunately, that's not very honest," pardon attorney Roger Adams said as he recommended President Bush deny clemency to the Nigerian immigrant under consideration.

That Nigerian turned out to be Park Slope minister Chibueze Okorie, sources familiar with the case told The News.

Adams was forced out in January because of his anti-Nigerian comments.

The top lawyer "appeared to have improperly considered one applicant's Nigerian origin when deciding not to recommend clemency for that applicant," according to a scathing report in December by the Justice Department's inspector general.