November 01, 2011 | Case

Judicial Watch v. Office of the Mayor of Chicago, et al. (No. 09-CH-44990) - documents regarding White House involvement in Chicago Olympic bid

Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s office to obtain records related to the Obama administration’s failed bid to bring the Olympics to Chicago. President Obama tapped White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett to lead the Olympics effort, despite her personal and business ties to Chicago, which included a stint working for Mayor Daley. The Obama White House granted Jarrett a conflict of interest “ethics waiver” to allow her to serve as “Olympics Czar,” despite her having personally led the Olympics bid for Chicago before entering the White House. (Other potentially conflicted White House officials with Chicago-ties include Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Advisor David Axelrod.)