[ad_1]
A A federal judge on Thursday ordered the FBI to hand over the memos of former director James Comey, including notes he made at his famous meeting with President Trump.
Judge James E. Boasberg of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled in favor of CNN, USA Today, Judicial Watch and other media, saying to the GM that He had to hand over Comey's memos to the court for review and eventual publication. Release.
The notes include notes that Comey said to have leaked to the media to trigger the appointment of a special board.
The media and watch groups fought for documents relating to Comey's notes through the Freedom of Information Act since May 2017, by which time the existence of Comey's memos has been made public. The memos tell very controversial conversations between Comey and Trump, and the outlets say the public is entitled to their content.
But the DOJ is opposed to their release. A significant amount of information contained in the Comey memos has already been made public, but other information has been written or otherwise concealed in public view. CNN is also fighting for access to the sealed arguments of the Department of Justice explaining to the court why the Department of Justice is opposed to the publication of the memos.
Trump was fired by Comey on May 9, 2017. One of the memos leaked by Comey was detailed in The New York Times on May 16, 2017 and Comey then explained to Congress that he had it. disclosed to a friend to enable him to initiate the investigation of the special advocate. Special advocate Robert Mueller was named the day after the New York Times report investigating a possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 elections.
Earlier in March this year, the Justice Department said that disclosure of information about Comey's memos could hinder Justice Mueller's investigation, claiming that she "would reveal information about the purpose and scope of the investigation of the special board office that have not been formally disclosed, and which, if disclosed today, could reasonably cause … potential harm. "
DOJ also argued that the information requested by CNN was sensitive and would have harmed the investigation.
While the special advocate's investigation was ongoing, the court appeared inclined to support this argument.
Mueller has now completed his investigation, but has delivered his final report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday.
CNN responded to DOJ's arguments a week ago by stating in court that they "showed that the FBI's justifications for writing Comey's memos were illogical and implausible".
CNN's lawyers argued that the redacted information would not undermine national security or US foreign policy if it were disclosed to the public. The redactions probably include: Which foreign leader was the first to congratulate Trump for his inauguration, which at the White House received a defensive briefing in February 2017, information on the investigation of Mike Flynn, stating in particular that he was not the only one in the world. he was monitored under FISA, details about the Trump file, information about Trump's comments about Vladimir Putin, etc.
Comey's notes must now be submitted to the court by April 1st.
[ad_2]
Source link