/PRNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today announced that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v Department of Justice (CV 10-01606)) against the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain records related to meetings between Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli and White House officials regarding DOJ's decision to dismiss its voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense (NBPP). Judicial Watch seeks the following documents through its FOIA request sent on January 19, 2010:
"Any and all records of Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli concerning meetings with the White House on the Justice Department's voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party. The time frame for this request is from January 20, 2009 to June 15, 2009."
On March 26, 2010, the DOJ informed Judicial Watch that it had conducted a search for documents, but found "no records responsive to your request." Judicial Watch appealed the decision on March 31, 2010, based on "various media accounts in which it was reported that Associate Attorney General Perrelli visited the White House on nine occasions between March 25, 2009, and May 27, 2009, to discuss Defendant's voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party."
The DOJ was required to make a determination on Judicial Watch's appeal within 20 working days, or by May 3, 2010. To date, no such determination has been made.
On September 20, Judicial Watch released a draft Vaughn index from the DOJ pursuant to a separate lawsuit indicating that Perrelli and other top political appointees were involved in the decision to dismiss the Black Panther case despite sworn testimony of Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, to the contrary.
The Vaughn index (privilege log) produced to Judicial Watch describes documents that continue to be withheld by the Justice Department. The index details 122 documents (totaling at least 611 pages) that the Obama DOJ is withholding from the public in their entirety. A federal court hearing in the matter is scheduled on October 5, 2010, in Washington, DC, before U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton.
"Why should anyone believe the Justice Department's story regarding these records? We now know Justice officials falsely stated that no political appointees were involved in the Black Panther decision. The Justice Department continues to withhold hundreds of pages of records that could shed light on this scandal. And despite multiple press reports documenting Perrelli's White House meetings, the Justice Department cannot find a single record related to these meetings. We're tired of getting the run-around and that's why we sued," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
The DOJ filed its lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party following an incident that took place outside of a Philadelphia polling station on November 4, 2008. A video of the incident, showing a member of the New Black Panther Party brandishing police-style baton weapon, was widely distributed on the Internet. According to multiple witnesses, members of the New Black Panthers blocked access to polling stations, harassed voters and hurled racial epithets. Nonetheless, the DOJ ultimately overruled the recommendations of its own staff and dismissed the majority of its charges.
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Showing posts with label corruption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corruption. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Judicial Watch Sponsors National Tea Party Convention
/Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the non-partisan public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it will serve as a major sponsor for the upcoming National Tea Party Convention to be held February 4-6, 2010, at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton will also address the convention on how to uncover and combat government corruption. Former Alaska
Governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is set to provide the keynote address.
The purpose of the convention is to bring "Tea Party Movement leaders together from around the nation for the purpose of networking and supporting the movement's multiple organizations' principal goals."
The convention will feature speakers, workshops, information centers, and will provide organizational tools for those who support the Tea Party movement.
"We're proud to stand with other Americans who respect the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and the need to limit the size and scope of the federal government," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Most Americans, especially the Tea Party movement, understand that big government leads to big corruption. So as the Obama administration inflates the size of government to unprecedented and dangerous levels -- Americans' concern about corruption is rightly increasing. As a group that has taken on both Republican and Democratic corruption,
Judicial Watch is honored to support the independent Tea Party movement."
According to a recent Judicial Watch poll conducted December 11-19, 2009, in partnership with Survey USA, a majority of likely voters believe that government is too big (64%) and that bigger government leads to more corruption (62%). Overall, 65% believe political corruption in the federal government is a "very serious" problem. Sure enough, most Americans(62%) believe increasing government's role in healthcare will lead to more corruption in the healthcare system.
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Governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is set to provide the keynote address.
The purpose of the convention is to bring "Tea Party Movement leaders together from around the nation for the purpose of networking and supporting the movement's multiple organizations' principal goals."
The convention will feature speakers, workshops, information centers, and will provide organizational tools for those who support the Tea Party movement.
"We're proud to stand with other Americans who respect the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and the need to limit the size and scope of the federal government," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Most Americans, especially the Tea Party movement, understand that big government leads to big corruption. So as the Obama administration inflates the size of government to unprecedented and dangerous levels -- Americans' concern about corruption is rightly increasing. As a group that has taken on both Republican and Democratic corruption,
Judicial Watch is honored to support the independent Tea Party movement."
According to a recent Judicial Watch poll conducted December 11-19, 2009, in partnership with Survey USA, a majority of likely voters believe that government is too big (64%) and that bigger government leads to more corruption (62%). Overall, 65% believe political corruption in the federal government is a "very serious" problem. Sure enough, most Americans(62%) believe increasing government's role in healthcare will lead to more corruption in the healthcare system.
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit against HUD to Obtain ACORN Documents Seeks Records Related to HUD's Taxpayer Support
Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit against HUD to Obtain ACORN Documents
Seeks Records Related to HUD's Taxpayer Support of Controversial Community Organization
/Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to obtain records related to federal grants provided to the controversial "community organization" Association for Community Reform Now (ACORN).
Judicial Watch filed its original Freedom of Information Act request on July 17. HUD acknowledged receipt of the request by letter on August 4th and granted itself additional time to process the request. However, HUD has not abided by its own extended deadline and has failed to provide Judicial Watch with a specific date by which it would respond, even after Judicial Watch agreed to limit the scope of the request to just seven states. (These states are California, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Louisiana.) By law, HUD had 20 days to respond to Judicial Watch's request. Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit on September 23, 2009.
Judicial Watch seeks the following records:
1. Any and all documents concerning money given to the ACORN and/or any of its affiliates (since January, 2000).
2. Any and all documents concerning any actions and/or disbarments against ACORN, for reasons including but not limited to abuse of grant money, misconduct, etc. (since January, 2000).
Over the last two weeks, the U.S. Senate has voted to deny ACORN access to housing funds, while the House of Representatives voted to deny ACORN all federal funds. The U.S. Census Bureau, meanwhile, has severed its partnership with the organization for the 2010 U.S. Census. The IRS also just severed a program relationship with ACORN. These actions were taken after videos surfaced depicting ACORN workers attempting to advise undercover reporters on how to evade tax, immigration and child prostitution laws. Most relevant to the lawsuit against HUD, are the videos depicting ACORN workers providing advice on purchasing a house to run as a brothel for underage, illegal alien girls.
"The Obama administration needs to come clean to the American people about its relationship with this disgraced organization, especially in light of President Obama's personal connections to ACORN," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Given ACORN's scandalous record, the federal government has no business supporting the organization with taxpayer dollars. It is troubling, given President Obama's promises of transparency, we have had to sue to try to gain access to the ACORN documents."
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Seeks Records Related to HUD's Taxpayer Support of Controversial Community Organization
/Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to obtain records related to federal grants provided to the controversial "community organization" Association for Community Reform Now (ACORN).
Judicial Watch filed its original Freedom of Information Act request on July 17. HUD acknowledged receipt of the request by letter on August 4th and granted itself additional time to process the request. However, HUD has not abided by its own extended deadline and has failed to provide Judicial Watch with a specific date by which it would respond, even after Judicial Watch agreed to limit the scope of the request to just seven states. (These states are California, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Louisiana.) By law, HUD had 20 days to respond to Judicial Watch's request. Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit on September 23, 2009.
Judicial Watch seeks the following records:
1. Any and all documents concerning money given to the ACORN and/or any of its affiliates (since January, 2000).
2. Any and all documents concerning any actions and/or disbarments against ACORN, for reasons including but not limited to abuse of grant money, misconduct, etc. (since January, 2000).
Over the last two weeks, the U.S. Senate has voted to deny ACORN access to housing funds, while the House of Representatives voted to deny ACORN all federal funds. The U.S. Census Bureau, meanwhile, has severed its partnership with the organization for the 2010 U.S. Census. The IRS also just severed a program relationship with ACORN. These actions were taken after videos surfaced depicting ACORN workers attempting to advise undercover reporters on how to evade tax, immigration and child prostitution laws. Most relevant to the lawsuit against HUD, are the videos depicting ACORN workers providing advice on purchasing a house to run as a brothel for underage, illegal alien girls.
"The Obama administration needs to come clean to the American people about its relationship with this disgraced organization, especially in light of President Obama's personal connections to ACORN," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Given ACORN's scandalous record, the federal government has no business supporting the organization with taxpayer dollars. It is troubling, given President Obama's promises of transparency, we have had to sue to try to gain access to the ACORN documents."
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Richard Viguerie: 'Axis of Graft' Must Not Be Allowed to Hold Onto Stolen Alaska Senate Seat
/PRNewswire / -- The theft of the 2008 U.S. Senate election in Alaska by corrupt Justice Department bureaucrats "must not be allowed to stand," Richard A. Viguerie said.
"The people of Alaska, and all Americans, must rise up and demand that Mark Begich resign," said Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com. "If corruption this blatant, with consequences this far-reaching, is allowed to succeed, it will bring our democracy itself into disrepute."
Said Viguerie, "Those who corruptly prosecuted this case must be prosecuted aggressively and forced to reveal the names of anyone they conspired with."
Viguerie is a longtime critic of Ted Stevens, who lost to Begich by fewer than 4,000 votes eight days after Stevens was fraudulently convicted.
"I'm no fan of Ted Stevens," Viguerie said. "But I'm a big fan of democracy, and this isn't it.
"By giving Democrats a critical extra seat in the Senate, the theft of the Alaska election helped pass the administration's program of bailouts and budget-busting 'stimulus.' Soon, that seat may make the difference in imposing health care rationing. On one policy after another, for generations to come, Americans will suffer the consequences of this conspiracy to undermine our very system of government."
Viguerie noted that "the Axis of Graft - the alliance between leftwing Democratic politicians and corrupt bureaucrats and special interests - has grown increasingly powerful.
"From the falsification of data on climate change, to the plan to count nonexistent people in the Census, to acquiescence in ACORN-style voter fraud, to the refusal to pursue the Fannie Mae crowd, corrupt elements in the bureaucracy have rigged the system to promote the agenda of the Left."
Viguerie added, "Given this administration's deep roots in Chicago corruption, we can expect more of the same, unless and until people demand honest government for a change."
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"The people of Alaska, and all Americans, must rise up and demand that Mark Begich resign," said Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com. "If corruption this blatant, with consequences this far-reaching, is allowed to succeed, it will bring our democracy itself into disrepute."
Said Viguerie, "Those who corruptly prosecuted this case must be prosecuted aggressively and forced to reveal the names of anyone they conspired with."
Viguerie is a longtime critic of Ted Stevens, who lost to Begich by fewer than 4,000 votes eight days after Stevens was fraudulently convicted.
"I'm no fan of Ted Stevens," Viguerie said. "But I'm a big fan of democracy, and this isn't it.
"By giving Democrats a critical extra seat in the Senate, the theft of the Alaska election helped pass the administration's program of bailouts and budget-busting 'stimulus.' Soon, that seat may make the difference in imposing health care rationing. On one policy after another, for generations to come, Americans will suffer the consequences of this conspiracy to undermine our very system of government."
Viguerie noted that "the Axis of Graft - the alliance between leftwing Democratic politicians and corrupt bureaucrats and special interests - has grown increasingly powerful.
"From the falsification of data on climate change, to the plan to count nonexistent people in the Census, to acquiescence in ACORN-style voter fraud, to the refusal to pursue the Fannie Mae crowd, corrupt elements in the bureaucracy have rigged the system to promote the agenda of the Left."
Viguerie added, "Given this administration's deep roots in Chicago corruption, we can expect more of the same, unless and until people demand honest government for a change."
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
NLPC Says Barack Obama Invited Blagojevich Appointment of Roland Burris by Backing Off Call for Special Election
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Peter Flaherty, President of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today reacted to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to Barack Obama's Senate seat by saying:
"It's getting more difficult for Barack Obama to extricate himself from the political mess in Illinois. Obama and other leading Democrats should have stuck to their calls for a special election to fill his Senate seat, instead of reverting to a brokered process. It only invited this kind of shenanigans from Blagojevich.
"It is hard to see how Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris has less credibility or moral standing than one brokered by other Illinois politicians. They all come out of the same corrupt culture that includes both parties.
"Much of the initial media coverage of Blagojevich missed the point. I don't believe was he was out of control or some sort of lone wolf. I believe his intercepted conversations are typical of politicians in Illinois and other states.
"The media focus on Obama's Senate seat is justified but it is obscuring equally important information from the FBI affidavit, namely the role of Obama's political sponsor Tony Rezko as Blagojevich's bagman. I doubt Rezko had one set of ethical standards when Obama was in the room, and another when he was with Blagojevich."
NLPC promotes ethics in public life, and sponsors the Government Integrity Project.
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"It's getting more difficult for Barack Obama to extricate himself from the political mess in Illinois. Obama and other leading Democrats should have stuck to their calls for a special election to fill his Senate seat, instead of reverting to a brokered process. It only invited this kind of shenanigans from Blagojevich.
"It is hard to see how Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris has less credibility or moral standing than one brokered by other Illinois politicians. They all come out of the same corrupt culture that includes both parties.
"Much of the initial media coverage of Blagojevich missed the point. I don't believe was he was out of control or some sort of lone wolf. I believe his intercepted conversations are typical of politicians in Illinois and other states.
"The media focus on Obama's Senate seat is justified but it is obscuring equally important information from the FBI affidavit, namely the role of Obama's political sponsor Tony Rezko as Blagojevich's bagman. I doubt Rezko had one set of ethical standards when Obama was in the room, and another when he was with Blagojevich."
NLPC promotes ethics in public life, and sponsors the Government Integrity Project.
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