Not racial prejudice per se but a near proxy: Opposition to civil rights.

Who could have seen this coming, besides me? And you, and everyone else?

The Rev. Al Sharpton on Thursday angrily denounced reports of an investigation into his 2004 presidential bid and suggested that federal authorities were retaliating against him for his civil rights advocacy…

Newspapers reported Thursday that federal authorities subpoenaed financial records and employees in an apparent probe of his presidential bid, nonprofit civil rights group and for-profit businesses.

Sharpton said he thought the timing of the investigation was suspicious, coming just weeks after he led a march on the Justice Department to demand federal intervention in the Jena Six case in Louisiana and better enforcement of hate crimes.

I blame Michelle Malkin. And also, possibly, his own alleged misstatement of fundraising to obtain federal matching funds.