The parties to this action have dismissed this case with prejudice. Read the stipulation of dismissal below.

CREW is suing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the State Department for failing to release documents in response to our October 2, 2019 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the freeze of security assistance to Ukraine. 

The release of a rough transcript of a July 25, 2019 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed Trump repeatedly pressuring Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son.  A whistleblower complaint released by the House Intelligence Committee around the same time noted the sudden withholding of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine shortly before Trump’s call with Zelensky. The timing of the freeze raises the alarming prospect that Trump used the security assistance in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival.

With the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Trump largely focused on Ukraine, it becomes more pressing than ever for the public to have access to any documents that explain the Trump Administration’’s withholding of security assistance to Ukraine. The requested records would shed light on the reasoning behind the multi-month freeze and how that decision was communicated to DOD and the State Department. 

Lawsuit documents


  • Nov. 20, 2019
  • Dec. 17, 2019
  • Dec. 31, 2019
  • August 24, 2020
  • August 26, 2020
  • September 23, 2020
  • Joint Motion to Waive the Requirement to File Statement of of Undisputed Material  Facts --October 29, 2020
  • November 17, 2020
  • December 9, 2020

Read More in Lawsuits