President Bush drastically reshaped the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, appointing Gerald Reynolds chairman to replace radical leftist Mary Frances Berry. Berry quietly left the agency after 24 years, the last 11 as its leader. Bush also appointed attorney Ashley L. Taylor to the commission and designated Kenneth L. Marcus as its staff director. Current commissioner Abigail Thernstrom will take over as vice chairwoman.
Reynolds told HUMAN EVENTS he would open the commission's books for inspection. Both a House subcommittee and the Government Accountability Office have pending investigations. "There are many folks on Capitol Hill . . . who have become frustrated because of how the commission has operated over the last 12 years," said Reynolds. "But I would just ask them to be patient and give us an opportunity to demonstrate that the organization could be run in a credible fashion."
