Shirley Sherrod Vows to Sue Andrew Breitbart

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(Credit: CBS)

Ousted USDA official Shirley Sherrod said in a speech to the National Association of Black Journalists in San Diego this morning that she will sue Andrew Breitbart, the conservative journalist and activist who posted the out-of-context video of her that resulted in her forced resignation.

Speaking of a lawsuit, Sherrod said she "will definitely do it," arguing that "he had to know that he was targeting me."

"Now whether he was also trying to target the NAACP, he had to know he was targeting me," she added.

Sherrod said she wished Breitbart had come to the event "because I really would like to talk to him."

"At this point he hasn't apologized and I don't want it at this point," she said. "He will definitely hear from me."

Sherrod also said she wasn't sure if she would take an offer from chastened Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a new job at the USDA.

"I have many, many questions before I make a decision," she said, adding the has "not had a chance to read the offer."

Breitbart could not immediately be reached for comment. He has said the video was that intended not to sabotage Sherrod's career but instead take down the NAACP.

Speaking around the same time, President Obama said Sherrod "deserved better than what happened last week." The comments that appeared in the edited video were part of a larger story about how she realized that race should not be the determining factor in who she helps.

For More Coverage on Shirley Sherrod:

Obama: Shirley Sherrod Deserved Better Obama on The View: Racial Labels Don't Matter Shirley Sherrod's USDA Job Offer: Deputy Director of the Office of Advocacy and Outreach Are Liberals Too Concerned with Being "Colorblind?" Obama Strategy on the Shirley Sherrod Case: Silence is Golden Andrew Breitbart: Sherrod "Sees Things Through a Racial Prism" Shirley Sherrod "Very Pleased" After Phone Call with Obama

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by Leaderless July 29, 2010 11:14 PM EDT: Andrew Breitbart is happy to hear that Shirley is suing him, she'll have to answer questions under oath by the defense and it will not be pretty.
One of the question Shirley have to answer is why is she engrossed in racial animosity while performing her job?; Reply to this comment


by govmess July 29, 2010 9:00 PM EDT: and the right wing media painted her as a saint who wouldn't stoop so low....she should forgive and shutup...seen and heard enough about this woman...don't need to see or hear anymore...this is not news...she's looking for another handout so she can sit on her rocking chair and make history. CBS, please talk about what's happening in the world such as that Turkey will not bow down to US sanctions on Iran and other world issues!! Got to go listen to BBC to get the real news in the world.; Reply to this comment

by apostasyusa July 29, 2010 4:33 PM EDT

Fry him. He like so many Republicans are just plain mean people.

Mean people are Cr*P.

Reply to this comment


by sjc_1 July 29, 2010 5:43 PM EDT: There is a lot of evil in the GOP, always has been.


by mbwilson79 July 29, 2010 4:19 PM EDT: Retribution will divide and two wrongs don?t make it Right---Mrs. Sherrod is a victim of this media circus. However suing Mr. Breitbart will only inflame the issue and not ?ensure equality of rights of all persons and eliminate racial hatre...d and racial discrimination? of any color, but only continue to divide this great nation of ours.
Instead of placing Mrs. Sherrod on administration leave until someone could take forty-three minutes to review a tape, five minutes to assess and conclude that Mr. Breitbart is trying to expose something that is small and minuet (the bitter bickering between the NAACP and the Tea Party), they, not Mr. Breitbart, choose to fire a government employee that has it in her heart to forgive and to preserve equality of rights. Or does she?

Was it Mr. Brietbart that called her, demanded that she pull over and immediately resigns via email? Was it Mr. Brietbart that made the statement, ?Racism is about the abuse of power? According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race. We are appalled by her actions??, within hours of the video? Mr. Brietbart might have instigated this, but suing him because he chooses not to apologize like the others, will expose the truth of this debate.

My guess is that ?she?s truly proud of this administration? that demanded her resignation, and is willing to go after the (only) ?Racist? in this whole scandal.

It?s time for all of us (race, gender, creed) to realize that life is not easy, but we don?t have to make it harder, just better than it was; forward progress, not backward thinking. After two hundred years, and several centuries, you?d think we would have figured that out?; Reply to this comment


by afrazier1 July 29, 2010 4:15 PM EDT: Don't take the job at the Dept of Ag. Show these lawyers what tort reform is all about. Sue his bloody butt off for as much or more than his bank account can afford! I sincerely hope this turns into the start of the demise of a certain so-called news network or at the very least makes them change how they promote themselves.; Reply to this comment


by PortableCloud July 29, 2010 3:38 PM EDT: This whole thing is a joke. No matter how you cut it she was racist, period. Just because you admit you did something racist doesn't mean you get off the hook. If she was white this story would be have a totally different angle. I have watched her entire speech and yeah it was nice to point out a problem we all know is there. But admitting you were part of that problem doesn't negate your actions. She should have been canned. The edited video was libel, but if it had never been, no one would have paid any attention to her being racist.; Reply to this comment


by awenshok July 29, 2010 3:36 PM EDT: Lawsuit? If she was my momma, there'd be more than a punky lawsuit for this rascisti to contemplate.; Reply to this comment


by edweirdness July 29, 2010 3:27 PM EDT: It comes down to finding an attorney and getting the cause heard by a liberal Judge. Should Mrs. Sherrod lose however; Mr. Breitbart would be well within his rights to clean her out for every last penny. Doubtless her litigation will be funded by Obama friendly political interests, while Mr. Breitbart would never be allowed to accept a penny by the media. It's just sad that other citizens can't sue both these morons for wasting tax payer funded courts and Judicial time. By the way, didn't NAACP Leaders likewise shoot off their mouths before the determined what the fact were?; Reply to this comment