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While the Department of Justice has a long history of successful prosecutions of CIA agents and others who publicly disclose national security secrets, cases outside this arena are rare, typically involving agents of the United States. law enforcement agencies who disclose sensitive information related to ongoing investigations.
Many former White House collaborators have published briefs, without legal repercussions. There are no known cases of an adviser to the First Lady facing legal consequences for disclosing learned information to the White House.
The lawsuit against Winston Wolkoff alleged that by publishing the book, she breached her “fiduciary duty” and a nondisclosure agreement she signed with a White House contracting officer in August 2017.
The one-page court record dismissing the case provided no explanation for the ministry’s withdrawal.
A DOJ official made only a laconic comment on the decision. “The Department assessed the case and concluded that the termination without prejudice was in the best interest of the United States based on the facts and the law,” said the official, who asked not to be named.
Some former Justice Department officials and outside lawyers said the prosecution was reckless because it threatened to lead to court decisions that could undermine the department’s litigation position in more serious cases. The lawsuit cited no laws protecting the information in question or allowing the White House to sign contracts such as the one with Winston Wolkoff, although President Donald Trump has long demanded them from campaign officials, organization staff. Trump and his personal assistants.
Winston Wolkoff and his lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the department’s decision to reverse course.
While the Biden administration has nominated some interim officials to lead the Justice Department until those named by Biden are confirmed, so far only four candidates have been announced and none have even been announced. scheduled for a hearing, including Attorney General candidate Merrick Garland. The notice on Monday was submitted under the leadership of Brian Boynton, who has served as the department’s interim civilian division chief shortly after Biden was sworn in.
The lawsuit against Winston Wolkoff was filed last October under then-Acting Civilian Division chief Jeffrey Clark. Clark, hitherto little known, made headlines last month when the New York Times reported that he was involved in talks with President Donald Trump to take over the head of the department to give his official support to the efforts in Georgia to overturn the elections. results there.
The extraordinary plan to oust senior Justice Department officials and replace them with Clark was never adopted. He took issue with unspecified aspects of news reports on the matter, but said he was precluded by solicitor-client privilege from providing further details.
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