Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department for Communications about Former FBI Director Comey’s Controversial Senate Testimony
Did Mueller Coordinate with Comey On Anti-Trump Testimony
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for all records of communications relating to former FBI Director James Comey’s controversial testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:17-cv-02316)).
Judicial Watch sued after the Justice Department failed to respond to an August 14, 2017, FOIA request seeking:
All records of communications between the Department of Justice and former FBI Director James Comey prior to and regarding Comey's testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 8, 2017.
Fox News reported: “A source close to James Comey tells Fox News the former FBI director’s Senate testimony has been ‘closely coordinated’ with Robert Mueller, whom the Justice Department appointed as special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation.”
On June 8, 2017, Comey gave testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in which he admitted: “I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter [for The New York Times]. I didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
In his testimony Comey detailed multiple conversations with President Trump. Comey confirmed he told President Trump three times that he was not a target of investigation and testified about President Trump’s firing of him.
On May 16, 2017, The New York Times reported that it received a leaked memorandum from former Director Comey detailing a conversation between President Trump and Comey regarding the FBI’s investigation of potential Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election.
Judicial Watch is pursuing numerous additional FOIA lawsuits (see here, here, here, and here) relating to former Director Comey’s memoranda and FBI exit records.
Judicial Watch also sent Acting FBI Director Andrew G. McCabe a warning letter concerning the FBI’s legal responsibility under the Federal Records Act (FRA) to recover records, including memos Comey subsequently leaked to the media, unlawfully removed from the Bureau by former Director James Comey.
“Mr. Comey may have violated the law in leaking these memos to the media,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It would be a scandal if Comey coordinated his Senate testimony with Mr. Mueller’s special counsel office. That we have had to sue in federal court speaks volumes.”
Sens. Lee, Paul, King, Crapo, Merkley Request Defunding of Civil Asset Forfeiture Expansion
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) joined with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Angus King (I-VT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Tom Udall (D-NM) in sending a letter to Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, requesting he defund the Department of Justice’s reinstated expansion of civil asset forfeiture practices.
The letter reads, in part:
“Adoptive forfeiture and equitable sharing are particularly egregious elements of civil asset forfeiture because they not only violate due process but also attack principals of federalism. DOJ’s reinstated policy allows state law enforcement officers to circumvent state limitations on civil forfeiture by turning seized property over to federal officials for forfeiture in exchange for up to 80% of the proceeds of the property. This perversely incentivizes local law enforcement to confiscate suspect property even where state laws forbid the practice.”
The full letter and online version of this release can be viewed here.
Suspected poisoning of Santaquin dog, $5,000 reward offered
Humane Society of Utah offers reward for the arrest in suspected dog poisoning case
The Humane Society of Utah (HSU) announced that it is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the suspected poisoning of Dexter, a 5-year-old Australian Shepherd in Santaquin, Utah. Dog owner Lindsy Bray brought Dexter to West Mountain Veterinary Hospital in Payson, Utah Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, with complaints of bloody diarrhea and vomitus. The veterinarian’s report stated that the dog’s symptoms suggested possible ingestion of d-CON or rat poison. The HSU hopes the reward assists the Santaquin Police Department in obtaining information required to identify and charge the person responsible for this aggravated cruelty.
“Please pray for Dexter,” said Lindsy Bray in a Facebook post Wednesday, Nov. 1. “The vet is keeping him for the next three days but our hearts are broken and our house already feels empty, our poor puppy is super sick.”
Dexter returned home Friday, Nov. 3, after receiving treatment that included vitamin K. Vitamin K, which is necessary for normal blood clotting, is commonly used as an antidote for the ingestion of rodent poison.
The Bray family is currently disputing a Santaquin City ordinance in the 4th District Court in Spanish Fork, Utah. Under the existing ordinance, Dexter was ordered by the court to be euthanized for allegedly scratching a teenage girl Oct. 20, 2016.
“We feel terrible for the Bray family,” said Gene Baierschmidt, HSU executive director. “While fighting for Dexter’s life in court, they had to fight for his life at home. It’s scary to think that someone may have attempted to harm Dexter through poisoning him in his yard.
Bray reports that they do not have rodent problem and have never bought any rat poison.
According to the Utah State Criminal Code, a person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to an animal if the person administers, or causes to be administered, poison or a poisonous substance to an animal. If convicted, a person could face a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine up to $2,500 for a class A misdemeanor, if committed intentionally or knowingly.
Anyone with information regarding who may have poisoned Dexter is urged to contact the Santaquin Police Department at 801-754-1070 or John Fox, HSU chief investigator, at 801-261-2919 ext. 210
