Judicial Watch Sues State Department for Podesta Group Records

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for all records about the Podesta Group Inc. and the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, which have both been connected to the recent special counsel indictment of Paul Manafort (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:17-cv-02489)).

Judicial Watch sued after the State Department failed to respond to a September 13, 2017, FOIA request for:

• All records of communication between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.

• All records produced related to any meetings or telephonic communications between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.

• All records regarding the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine.

• The FOIA request covers the timeframe of January 1, 2012 to the present.

The Podesta Group, formerly led by Anthony Podesta, and the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine have been mentioned in connection with the criminal indictment of Paul Manafort by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

“Mueller’s special counsel operation seems more interested in the alleged foreign ties of the Trump Team, rather than Hillary Clinton’s associates,” stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch aims to figure out the truth of what exactly the Podesta Group was doing with the Obama State Department.”

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