Press

PRESS

May 09, 2006

CREW Sues Secret Service Over Abramoff-Related Visitor Records

Administration & Lobbying, FOIA Requests (Legal Filings), Lawsuits, Federal Agencies, Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, FOIA, Lobbying, The White House, Transparency, Press Releases, Jack Abramoff

Washington, DC – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today for its failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on documents detailing Abramoff-related visits to the White House, the executive office buildings and the Vice President’s house.

On February 2, 2006 CREW sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Secret Service, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, asking for records relating to any visit that Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, Neil Volz, Tony Rudy, Shawn Vassell, Kevin Ring, Edwin Buckham and Patrick Pizzella made between January 1, 2001 and February 2, 2006.

CREW has not received any documents from DHS regarding the FOIA request.

“We are trying to discover the extent of the ties between Abramoff and his colleagues and the Bush administration. Unfortunately -- as has become commonplace -- the administration is stonewalling,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW. “The American people deserve to know the truth about Abramoff’s influence with the Bush administration, something the administration is clearly trying to hide.”

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