(Washington, DC) –Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that on August 31, 2007, the Court of Appeals for the Second District of Texas upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Judicial Watch clients FBI Special Agent Robert Wright and former FBI Special Agent John Vincent in a defamation lawsuit brought by a Muslim FBI Agent.  The appellate court ruled that the Texas trial court was correct in dismissing the lawsuit, “for want of jurisdiction,” while also upholding the trial court’s grant of summary judgment on behalf of ABC, Inc., which nationally broadcast the alleged defamatory statements on December 19, 2002 on its Primetime Thursday program.

“There is no evidence in the record to support Appellant’s contention that Wright and Vincent directed their statements specifically at Texas or that they did not believe ABC’s information that Appellant was in Saudi Arabia.  Therefore, we conclude that the trial court correctly determined that it had no personal jurisdiction over Wright and Vincent …,” the court ruled.

The statements allegedly made by Special Agents Wright and Vincent involve Muslim FBI Agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz and his reaction to a request to “wear a wire” while interviewing a Muslim terror suspect in a 1999 FBI investigation.  According to the court’s ruling, among the statements broadcast by ABC and challenged by Abdel Hafiz:

“Wright:  ‘September 11th is a direct result of the incompetence of the FBI’s International Terrorism Unit.  No doubt about that.  Absolutely no doubt about that.’ 

“Brian Ross:  ‘Perhaps most astounding of the many mistakes, according to…affidavits filed by Agent Wright, is how another FBI Agent who is Muslim seriously damaged the investigation, telling Wright and Vincent he would refuse to secretly record one of Kadi’s suspected associates who was also Muslim.’”

Abdel-Hafiz also challenged an article published by ABC on its Internet site identifying him as the Muslim FBI Agent mentioned in the broadcast.  ABC, Inc., ABC News, Charles Gibson, Brian Ross, and Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly were all originally named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with Wright and Vincent.  Judicial Watch attorney and Texas lawyer Todd Hutton successfully defended Wright and Vincent in court

“We are pleased the appellate court affirmed the dismissal of these defamation claims.  This is a tremendous victory for Judicial Watch, and for Robert Wright and John Vincent, two fine men who have dedicated their lives to protecting this country,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

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