U.S. Newswire: CREW Files Complaint Against Department of Justice

[truthpusher]

Press Release:

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39616

CREW Files Complaint Against Department of Justice for Withholding Documents Stolen from Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Members

11/10/2004 1:29:00 PM


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To: National Desk

Contact: Melanie Sloan of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 202-588-5565

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the District Court for the District of Columbia for failing to produce documents pursuant to Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA). CREW had asked DOJ to produce any records relating to documents stolen from the computers of Democratic staff to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Last March, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms William Pickle issued a report finding that former Senate staff aide Manuel Miranda, who worked first for Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and later Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, with the assistance of former clerk Jason Lundell, accessed materials on the computers of Democratic staff for a period of 18 months from November 2001 through April 2003. Some of these documents, which concerned judicial nominations, were leaked to the media.

In February 2004, CREW sent FOIA requests to DOJ requesting any communications regarding judicial nominations that involved documents belonging to Democratic staff. After nearly 8 months, DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel sent a response to CREW indicating that the Office has such documents, but claiming that they are exempt disclosure as they are protected by "the deliberative process" and "attorney client privilege."

CREW's executive director Melanie Sloan said that "the Department of Justice's claim that stolen documents are exempt from release under the FOIA is ludicrous. The fact that our nation's chief law enforcement office appears to have knowingly received documents stolen from the computers of democratic staff members, and then failed to return those documents to their rightful owners -- or even told any Democratic Senator on the Committee that it had received such documents is unbelievable." Sloan continued, "On top of that, to then claim the documents are protected by attorney client privilege is outrageous and CREW is looking forward to hearing a federal court judge's reaction to this argument."

A copy of CREW's complaint can be found on the web at http://www.citizensforethics.org


http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39616

[Edmond Dantes]

1. I wonder which judge will be assigned to the case. A lot of

* appointees are nothing more than political hacks.

[kayell]

2. Kick

[BeatleBoot]

3. Well, at least we have a man of morals in the White House

:puke: