Few whistleblowers have had to endure abuse at the hands of the federal government like Notra Trulock. Mr. Trulock was the Director of the Office of Intelligence for the U.S. Department of Energy when he discovered and reported serious breaches in national security. He and his investigators discovered that nuclear secrets were missing from Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, and possibly put in the hands of the communist Chinese.
After uncovering the story, Mr. Trulock was subjected to a vicious smear campaign by the Clinton administration and was eventually forced to resign. His home was burglarized and his computer and his files illegally searched by the FBI. He was falsely accused by Los Alamos convicted felon Wen Ho Lee of being a racist. Wen Ho Lee was convicted of misappropriating our nations’ most secret nuclear codes.
Judicial Watch filed a defamation action against Lee on Mr. Trulock’s behalf in federal district court in Virginia. After months of discovery, and in a truly extraordinary development, CIA Director George Tenent submitted a sworn declaration to the court representing that U.S. national security concerns mandated that the lawsuit be dismissed without a trial. Mr. Trulock was prevented from having his day in court, but the lawsuit nonetheless demonstrates Judicial Watch’s commitment to promote integrity in government by aiding conscientious public officials. It also helped to counterbalance some of the negative perceptions surrounding Lee’s prosecution.
Judicial Watch also represented Mr. Trulock in a case against the FBI. As part of that case’s discovery process, Judicial Watch forced the release of a government report (known as the Bellows Report) that completely exonerated Mr. Trulock from the false charges of Wen Ho Lee.
Case Status
-
Notra Trulock, III v. U.S. Department of Justice (00-2234) (U.S. District Court for D.C.) is an active FOIA case, and Judicial Watch is waiting for documents to be produced by the government.
-
Notra Trulock’s case against Louis Freeh was settled in early 2004.
-
Notra Trulock’s case against Wen Ho Lee ended with a summary judgment for the defendant in late 2003.
Court Documents