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| Representative Bob Barr |
The Privacy Act, passed in response to the privacy abuses of the Nixon-White House era, grants an individual the right of access to information maintained by government agencies. The Act covers the White House as was confirmed in the Judicial Watch Filegate lawsuit.
Conservative Georgia Congressman Bob Barr spearheaded the 1998-1999 effort to have President Clinton impeached and thus became a target for retaliation. The Clinton administration’s Department of Justice and the FBI allegedly used government-acquired information to smear the Congressman’s reputation thereby interfering with his duties and responsibilities during the House impeachment hearings.
After reading a report that the Clinton White House had compiled a special file on him, Congressman Barr requested access to his file under the Privacy Act. Despite law and court ruling to the contrary, both the General Accounting Office and the Clinton Justice Department held that the Privacy Act did not apply to the White House and refused to turn the information over.
Judicial Watch filed suit on Congressman Barr’s behalf in 1999 and amended in March 2002 to add Clinton, James Carville and pornographer Larry Flynt to the list of defendants. By filing this lawsuit, Congressman Barr and Judicial Watch are seeking to protect the interests and rights of all Americans.
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To learn more about Judicial Watch’s cases involving the Privacy Act and invasion of privacy, use these links:
· Privacy Act of 1974
· Filegate
· Kathleen Willey
· Whistleblower – Special Agent Dennis Sculimbrene