Posted on 07/31/2014 2:53:37 PM PDT by Kaslin
Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit pursued against the Department of Justice by government watchdog Judicial Watch, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled documents being withheld from Congress under President Obama's claim of executive privilege must be turned over. Obama made the claim on the same day Attorney General Eric Holder was voted in criminal and civil contempt of Congress in June 2012.
"This order forces the Obama DOJ, for the first time, to provide a detailed listing of all documents that it has withheld from Congress and the American people for years about the deadly Fast and Furious gun running scandal," Judicial Watch released in a statement.
The FOIA lawsuit has been ongoing for 16-months and is now proceeding after a lengthy delay. The Justice Department originally asked the court for an indefinite hold on a FOIA request from Judicial Watch, citing executive privilege and an ongoing investigation. That indefinite hold request was shot down more than a year ago.
The documentation DOJ is required to now turn over is a "Vaughn index" of "all requested Fast and Furious materials from a June 2012 Judicial Watch FOIA request."
A Vaughn index must: (1) identify each document withheld; (2) state the statutory exemption claimed; and (3) explain how disclosure would damage the interests protected by the claimed exemption." In ordering the DOJ to provide Judicial Watch the Vaughn index, the Court ruled, “In this circuit, when an agency is withholding documents under exemption claims, courts require that the agency provide a Vaughn index so that the FOIA requester – at a distinct informational disadvantage – may test the agency’s claims.”
“Once again, Judicial Watch has beat Congress to the punch in getting key information about another Obama scandal – this time, the Fast and Furious outrage,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “A federal court has ordered the Obama administration to produce information that could, for the first time, provide specific details who in the administration is responsible for Fast and Furious lies to Congress and the American people. This is a battle that put Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, saw Nixonian assertions of executive privilege by Barack Obama, and a hapless Congress in face of all this lawlessness. Finally, we may get some accountability for Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and the countless others murdered as a result of the insanely reckless Obama administration program.”
This is a huge step forward.
Agreed on both counts!
I’m pretty sure they lost them.
Yep. It seems they have been much more successful since Klayman moved on.
So do I and Kudos to JW
0bummer and Eric the Red are saddened, they may have to ignore another order.
Shredding machine now working overtime.
Why do I think computers are going to blow??
Do you think this criminal administration will comply?
Provide the documents or we shall have to hold you in contempt of congress a second timeeeeehhh.
Please pardon the obscure Monty Python reference
VERY interesting. Thanks for posting.
In ordering the DOJ to provide Judicial Watch the Vaughn index, the Court ruled, “In this circuit, when an agency is withholding documents under exemption claims, courts require that the agency provide a Vaughn index so that the FOIA requester – at a distinct informational disadvantage – may test the agency’s claims.”
++++
And it took 2 years to find out that providing a Vaughn Index is “Standard Practice”. Give me a break.
It’s hard to comprehend the extreme arrogance of a President and Attorney General, neither of whom could pass a security check, telling elected leaders who have security clearances that they can’t be trusted with information. Of course, Holder and Boss are protecting themselves from being caught in treason.
Court orders mean nothing to this administration. They do what they want, when they want to. I have no faith that the order will be enforced.
So what was to prevent all those documents from being destroyed?
not holdin my breath...
Let me re-iterate our position. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION is the most OPEN ADMINISTRATION ,after it is sued, to ever occupy the white wash house.
To be fair to congress, they only have the tool of politics at their disposal. If the people don’t care that Obama isn’t following the law, then he can can politically get away with it without any backlash. On the other hand, JW has the law on their side...popularity of the President or the weakness of the political case is no longer in play. The work of JW may make the politics more favorable for the GOP..
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
I just finished the book “Obama’s Enforcer”-——this is one scary guy.
.
Let the games begin.
The state controlled media will get a hernia trying to avoid this...
5.56mm
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