Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Senator John Edwards released the following statement in response to President Bush’s threat to veto pending federal hate crime legislation.

“Every American is entitled to live in dignity without fear of violence. No community should feel that they can be targeted with impunity. But until law enforcement has the tools to aggressively investigate and prosecute all hate crimes, some Americans will doubt that the government is on their side. President Bush’s threat to veto hate crime legislation sends just that message.

“With 25 hate crimes committed every day by the FBI’s count – one every hour – it is embarrassing that the White House says stronger law enforcement tools are ‘unnecessary’. Nine years after the heinous murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., I know these tools are more necessary than ever. As president, I will sign the hate crimes law and make sure law enforcement has all the resources it needs to protect every community in America.”