SECOND ARGUMENT IN CREW LAWSUIT SEEKING RELEASE OF CHENEY INTERVIEW ON PLAME WILSON LEAK HELD TODAY

21 Jul 2009 // Washington, D.C. – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) argued today in U.S. District Courthouse Courtroom 24A in CREW v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, for which CREW is seeking, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a copy of the interview former Vice President Dick Cheney gave to the FBI as part of the criminal investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s covert CIA identity. Judge Emmet Sullivan has scheduled this second hearing to address questions he raised at the last hearing in this case. Judge Sullivan was particularly concerned with the government's supporting declaration and the basis for its claim that if the interview is released, White House officials will be unwilling to cooperate with lawful criminal investigations in the future. The Department of Justice has filed the declaration of Criminal Division head Lanny Breuer. DOJ's latest brief suggests the agency is more interested in protecting the interests of Bush and Cheney rather than any legitimate law enforcement interest of the agency, particularly in its suggestion that the public should wait six to ten years before being allowed access to the report.

On April 8, 2009, CREW requested that the Obama administration release the interview in light of President Obama’s oft-stated claims of a commitment to transparency and accountability and Attorney General Holder’s promise of a presumption of openness. The current administration has refused to release the interview, siding with the Bush administration in keeping secret a document that would shed light on the former vice president’s role in destroying Valerie Plame Wilson’s covert CIA career and jeopardizing the lives of others with whom she came in contact.

WHAT: Argument in Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice

WHERE: U.S. District Courthouse, Courtroom 24A

WHEN: TODAY, Tuesday, July 21 at 10:00 AM