Free Republic

A federal judge today sided with the Bush administration in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit related to missing White House e-mails. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is probably most familiar to Ars readers for her role in the Microsoft antitrust case, held that the White House's Office of Administration was not a federal agency as that term is defined by the FOIA and was therefore not obligated to respond to FOIA requests. The ruling represents a setback for the plaintiff, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which was also behind the White House e-mail lawsuit we covered...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to force Vice President Dick Cheney to reveal details about the energy policy task force he headed and the pro-industry recommendations it made. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously found that two private groups that sued Cheney failed to establish that the federal government had a legal duty to produce documents detailing the White House's contacts with business executives and lobbyists. The lawsuit, filed by the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch, alleged that energy industry officials effectively became members of...

WASHINGTON, May 8 - The State Department is refusing to make public internal documents sought by Senate Democrats in their attempt to seek more information about repeated clashes between John R. Bolton and American intelligence agencies over Syria, administration officials say. In rejecting the request, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the information involves "internal deliberations" and their disclosure could have a chilling effect on debates within the administration. The decision was spelled out in a letter that Ms. Rice sent Friday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is evaluating the administration's nomination of Mr. Bolton to...

Bush Shields Clinton Scandals NewsMax.com Wires Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 WASHINGTON – The Bush administration, citing executive privilege for the first time, refused Thursday to honor subpoenas from a House committee investigating campaign finance violations in the Clinton administration and the use of informants in organized crime investigations. Justice Department officials said the refusal would keep investigations "free from political influences." Republicans and Democrats alike excoriated the decision, suggesting Bush was creating a ``monarchy'' or ``imperial'' presidency to keep Congress from overseeing the executive branch and guarding against corruption. The House Government Reform Committee claims the decision to reject the...