Press

PRESS

January 25, 2010

CREW and Open Government Advocates Urge DoJ to Address FOIA Litigation Concerns

Federal Agencies, Department of Justice, Organizations, Electronic Frontier Foundation, OpenTheGovernment.org, The National Security Archive, Transparency, Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the National Security Archive (NSA) and OpenTheGovernment.org sent a follow-up letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli. In the letter, the groups thanked DOJ for hosting a December 9, 2009 meeting to discuss ongoing concerns with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation and urged the DOJ to continue tackling agencies’ resistance to operating under a policy of disclosure rather than stonewalling. The Attorney General’s March 19, 2009 FOIA memorandum directed agencies to follow the President’s directive to disclose information, but it has yet to be implemented in practice.

The groups seek a additional meetings with Mr. Perrelli and DOJ representatives in the hope of establishing an ongoing dialogue that will advance the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

Click here to read the groups’ letter to Mr. Perrelli.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact David Merchant at 202.408.5565 or dmerchant@citizensforethics.org