In the early 1990’s, President and Hillary Clinton violated the privacy rights of their perceived political enemies by wrongly accessing and misusing the FBI files of Reagan and Bush I staffer and others. This scandal became known as "Filegate." In pursuing its Filegate investigation, Judicial Watch learned with the help of whistleblowers Sheryl Hall and Betty Lambuth that the Clinton-Gore White House had hidden over 1.8 million e-mails from courts, Congressional investigators and independent counsels for nearly two years. Plans were also uncovered to destroy the files. To keep the e-mails secret, Clinton-Gore White House officials threatened contractors and staff with their jobs or jail time. Once the failure to produce the e-mails was revealed, the cover-up began; a cover-up that included obstruction and false testimony. Then, on hearing the testimony of the White House whistleblowers, a federal court judge ordered the testimony of former high-level Clinton-Gore White House officials in a court hearing to examine the threats, obstruction and alleged false testimony.

Evidence showed that the e-mails are incriminating and covered virtual all of the Clinton-Gore scandals, yet these e-mails were not considered by Independent Counsel Robert Ray who gave the Clinton-Gore White House a clean bill of health. (View ethics complaint.)

In January 2001, the e-mail files were placed under custody of the National Archives (NARA) and were restored, costing the American tax-payers over $13 million.

In December 2002 the court ordered the files be searched. The NARA is responsible for responding to all special access requests and subpoenas that are made pursuant to the Presidential Records Act (PRA). The PRA generally restricts public access to the Clinton Presidential and Gore Vice Presidential records for five years after the end of the administration and for specific records for an additional seven years.

Judicial Watch is representing plaintiffs in a class-action suit filed by the White House employees of Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations whose FBI files were wrongly accessed by the Clinton White House. The FBI and White House are being sued for breach of the Federal Privacy Act while other individuals, including Hillary Clinton, are being sued for invasion of privacy.

Legal Documents

Depositions

• Mari Lynne Anderson - May 7, 1998
• Kenneth Bacon
  • Deposition 1 - March 15, 1998
  • Deposition 2 - May 24, 1999
• Paul E. Begala - March 3, 1998
• Clifford H. Bernath
  • Deposition 1 - April 30, 1998
  • Deposition 2 - June 10, 1999
• James Carville - March 16, 1998
• Lanny J. Davis - July 30, 1998
• Terry Good - June 1, 1999
• Deborah Gorham - June 3, 1999
• Harold Ickes
  • Deposition - May 21, 1998
  • Itemized List of Claims of Memory Loss; (questions are paraphrased) 84 Examples
• Thomas D. Janenda - April 16, 1998
• William H. Kennedy, III - October 15th, 1998
• Terry F. Lenzner - March 13, 1998
• Craig Livingstone
  • Deposition 1 AM / Deposition 1 PM - May 26, 1999
  • Deposition 2 - June 8, 1999
  • Deposition 3 - August 18, 1999
• Anthony Marceca - June 9, 1999
• Thomas F. McLarty, III - August 5, 1998
• Bernard Nussbaum - June 4, 1999
• Eleanor Stacy Parker - March 18, 1998
• Betsy Pond - May 27, 1999
• Larry Potts - August 18, 1998
• Jane Sherburne - June 21, 1999
• George Stephanopoulos
  • Deposition 1 - February 20, 1998
  • Deposition 2 - March 9, 1998
• Linda Tripp
  • Deposition 1 - December 14, 1998
  • Deposition 2 - January 5, 1999
  • Deposition 3 - January 13, 1999
  • Deposition 4 - January 22, 1999

James Carville was the former campaign manager and political consultant to President Clinton. He is questioned in this case regarding his knowledge of White House activity that involved the files in question. George Stephanopoulos was a senior political advisor to President Clinton as well as his press secretary and communications director at various times in the administration. He was also questioned about his knowledge of Filegate. Linda Tripp, a White House employee during both the Bush and Clinton administrations, provided Judicial Watch with perhaps its best evidence of all. It is Tripp that reveals a direct connection between Mrs. Clinton and the illegally obtained files.

Court Documents

• Letter to David Kendall regarding possibile deposition of Hillary Clinton - October 15, 1997
• Memorandum and Order to Deny Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Re-Designation of Witness and for Attorneys' Fees
• Plainfiffs' First Request for Production of Documents to Defendant Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Memorandum Opinion to Grant in Part and Deny in Part Plaintiffs' Request for an ARMS E-mail Search
• Memorandum and Order to Grant in Part and Deny in Part Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Testimony and Further Production of Documents from Kenneth Bacon and for Sanctions
• Memorandum and Order to Grant in Part and Deny in Part Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Production of Documents from the U.S. Department of Defense and to Grant Department of Defense's Motion to File Supplemental Declaration of Eleanor Hill Ex Parte and Under Seal
• Memorandum and Order to Strike Plaintiffs' Motions to Compel - December 22, 1997
• Memorandum and Order to Deny James Carville's Motion for Reconsideration - March 13, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Production of Documents From the U.S. Department of Defense and for Sanctions - August 17, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Testimony and Further Production of Documents from Kenneth Bacon and for Sanctions - August 17, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Deposition Testimony of Terry W. Good and for Sanctions - August 18, 1998
• Motion for Emergency Order Compelling the Deposition of George Stephanopoulos - August 18, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Further Testimony From Harold Ickes - August 21, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Opposition to Motion of Non-Party D. Craig Livingstone - August 24, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Opposition to United States' Motion for Limited Intervention and to Stay Subpoena Issued to Linda R. Tripp - August 31, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Opposition to Motion of Linda R. Tripp for a Protective Order and Objection to Subpoena - September 8, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to File Surreply; Surreply to United States' Motion for Limited Intervention and to Stay Subpoena Issued to Linda R. Tripp - September 8, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to File Supplement; Supplement to Opposition to Motion of Linda R. Tripp for a Protective Order and Objection to Subpoena - September 8, 1998
• Exhibit to Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to File Supplement; Supplement to Opposition to Motion of Linda R. Tripp for a Protective Order and Objection to Subpoena - September 8, 1998
• Motion to Compel Documents and Further Deposition Testimony from Lanny J. Davis and for Sanctions - September 23, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Opposition to Executive OFfice of the President's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings - October 30, 1998
• Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to Supplement Pending Motion Regarding Deposition of Betsy Pond and Supplement Thereto - April 5, 1999
• Declaration of Hillary Rodham Clinton - July 14, 1999
• Declaration of Gary W. Aldrich - August, 1999
• Declaration of Christopher B. Emery - August, 1999
• Declaration of M. Dennis Sculimbrene - August, 1999
• Declaration of Sherry Rowlands - August 5, 1999
• Declaration of Billy Ray Dale - August 6, 1999
• Plaintiffs' Supplemental Memorandum Concerning Substitution and Class Certification - August 9, 1999
• Exhibits Cited in Plaintiffs' Supplemental Memorandum Concerning Substitution and Class Certification
• Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to Supplement Motion to Depose Defendant Hillary Rodham Clinton - November 30, 1999
• Second Declaration of Sheryl L. Hall - December 7, 1999
• Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to Supplement the Record - December 9, 1999
• Memorandum Opinion on Plaintiffs' Supplement to their Motion to Compel the Production of Documents Regarding their Second Request to the Executive Office of the President Regarding E-mail - 2000
• Declaration of Howard Sparks - June 19, 2000
• Plaintiffs' Proposed Findings of Fact - January 9, 2001
• Plaintiffs' Initial Legal Memorandum in Support of Findings of Fact - January 9, 2001
• Plaintiffs' Renewed Motion for Leave to Depose Hillary Rodham Clinton - July 31, 2001
• Plaintiffs' Request for a Status Conference - September 12, 2001
• Plaintiffs' Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment; Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment and in Support of Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment; Response to Defendants' Statement of Material Facts and Statement of Undisputed Material Facts in Support of Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment - October 19, 2009

Press Releases

• Obama Administration Tells Federal Court Privacy Act Does Not Apply to White House - October 29, 2009

Other Documents

• Filegate: Did they have your file? - The list of FBI files taken by the Clinton White House (as published by The Washington Times)
• List of deceased persons reportedly associated with the Clinton Administration - (left on Linda Tripp's chair by Monica Lewinsky, according to Tripp)