CREW FILES OPPOSITION BRIEF IN LAWSUIT AGAINST THE WHITE HOUSE

20 May 2008 // Yesterday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an opposition to the White House's objections to an expanded preservation order in CREW v. EOP.

The White House has objected to the recommendation of Magistrate Judge Facciola that the preservation order currently in place be expanded to require the White House to preserve more than just whatever copies may be on the single set of backup tapes the White House has identified as having been created for disaster recovery purposes.

As CREW pointed out, the White House has now refused twice to identify for the court the specific burdens that an expanded preservation order would impose while the harm to the public is clear, given the admittedly and glaringly incomplete set of backup tapes that the White House has acknowledged having.

The National Archive also filed an opposition on similar grounds.

CREW's opposition brief can be found on the right.