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| For Immediate Release | |
| Dec 12, 2000 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Rules Bruce Lindsey, Cheryl Mills, Doris Matsui, Others Can Be Deposed – Allows Search of White House E-Mail (Washington, DC) Judge Royce C. Lamberth, in three orders last week, ruled that Judicial Watch can undertake significant new discovery in the withholding of documents concerning Clinton-Gore Commerce Department trade missions. Judicial Watch has uncovered evidence, including sworn testimony, that the Clinton-Gore Commerce Department, working in conjunction with the White House and Democratic National Committee, illegally sold taxpayer-financed trade missions seats in exchange for campaign contributions. In court testimony, Nolanda Hill, the business partner and confidante of the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, said that Hillary Clinton conceived of this fundraising scheme. Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit in 1995 to uncover documents pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) about the Commerce Department trade missions. In December, 1998 (and reaffirmed yesterday), the Court ruled that the Clinton-Gore Commerce Department had illegally withheld and destroyed many responsive documents. (It was this lawsuit that helped uncover John Huang, which, according to Fox News, “got the ball rolling” on the Chinagate scandal. Huang now faces contempt of court for his refusal to answer questions about Bill and Hillary Clintons’, Al Gore’s and many Republicans’ roles in this controversy.) In his rulings, Judge Lamberth authorized Judicial Watch to take the deposition testimony of Bruce Lindsey, Cheryl Mills, and Doris Matsui. A sworn declaration by Commerce Department whistleblower Sonya Stewart points to Ms. Mills’ involvement in improperly withholding documents from Judicial Watch. With respect to Mr. Lindsey and Ms. Matsui, the Court found, based on Ms. Stewart’s testimony, that “it is logical to conclude that Lindsey and Matsui would have information related to the frustration of the plaintiff’s FOIA requests” on the trade missions. Judge Lamberth also authorized discovery into Clinton-Gore White House e-mail which may bear on the underlying issue of documents illegally withheld from Judicial Watch by the Commerce Department. In allowing e-mail discovery, Judge Lamberth cited Nolanda Hill’s sworn testimony, ruling that “there is credible evidence that communications did occur between the (Commerce Department), the White House, and the DNC...[and that] it is logical to conclude that at least some of the communications were in electronic form.” “As Judge Lamberth said yesterday, ‘this is not your average FOIA case.’ Though Judge Lamberth did not grant Judicial Watch all the discovery it had requested, we are pleased by his rulings. This scandal goes to the highest levels of the Clinton-Gore White House,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. |
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