CREW requested all forms of records created or received by the Department of the Army or Department of Defense related to the incident at the wreath laying ceremony and Trump’s Section 60 visit to the Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024. CREW additionally requested any records or communications received by any department related to the incident, as well as any of the Departments’ actions or decisions not to take action in response.

Political activity is prohibited in the Arlington National Cemetery due to its position as a sacred site in the American national consciousness. On August 26, the Trump campaign reportedly broke this rule by using campaign photography within the cemetery and releasing TikTok videos that included gravestones of buried soldiers.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of all communications sent by or received by Georgia State Election Board members Janice Johnston, Rick Jeares or Janelle King. This request was filed to determine whether Georgia SEB members were coordinating with the RNC or other election deniers.

Read the requests here and here.

CREW requested documents from the New York Department of Probation related to the number of defendants who were permitted to attend their pre-sentencing investigation interview virtually and/or have their attorneys present at the interview between June 2023 and June 2024.

Following the news that Judge Juan Merchan granted Trump an exception to have his attorney present at his pre-sentencing interview, several New York public defender offices issued a joint statement condemning Trump’s alleged preferential treatment. The statement claims that their clients are not similarly afforded exceptions despite the positive impact an attorney’s presence can have on a defendant’s ability to answer questions and receive an appropriate assessment and sentence from the judge. 

In response to the statement, a representative from the office of Mayor Eric Adams denied claims that Trump received any special treatment. The requested records will shed light on this matter.

Read the request here

CREW requested all records from January 14, 2019 to the present concerning the Department of Public Safety’s response to public gatherings or protests in Georgia, including records related to any alleged misconduct by, or disciplinary action taken against any employee of the Department in response to this type of event. 

CREW also requested all communications with the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Attorney General, or any federal agency that describe policy, tactics, procedures, and equipment to be used by law enforcement officers and all communications related to deploying the National Guard in response to public gatherings or protests.  

Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are fundamental rights guaranteed by the federal and state constitutions and the public is entitled to information regarding government departments and agencies’ responses to protests.

Read the request here.

CREW requested documents related to compliance and monitoring efforts carried out by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office of the DOJ, including complaints, internal investigations, grant reviews, and site visits conducted between January 1, 2020 to the present.

The COPS program has provided monetary grants for hiring police officers for community policing, integrating former military personnel into law enforcement roles focused on community engagement, and supporting initiatives such as crime prevention training. CREW requested these records to ensure adequate oversight and reporting within the COPS program and the responsible use of government resources and federal funding.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of any and all draft versions from October 24, 2019 to November 3, 2020 of Special Counsel John Durham’s interim Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns.

CREW also requested copies of any communications from October 24, 2019, to November 3, 2020 between then-Counsel and U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy regarding her September 11, 2020 resignation from the Department of Justice.

Dannehy served as deputy to Durham in his investigation of the origins of the FBI’s inquiry into Russian collusion with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and whether intelligence officials “abused their power” by attempting to influence the investigation. Dannehy resigned without public comment in September 2020, at the time raising questions about dissent within the investigation.  Investigations involving elections should be treated with the highest level of scrupulousness and impartiality. The public has a right to know whether this important investigation was carried out in an objective and apolitical manner.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of any communications from January 15, 2022 to the present between the Virginia State Board of Elections and a handful of groups and individuals involved with subverting elections in the state.

In 2021, conservative activist group Virginia Fair Elections (VFE) wrote a memo titled The Virginia Model, laying out ways for states to “subtly influence the voting systems” under the guise of protecting election integrity. VFE has put this model into practice in Virginia by deploying poll watchers and manipulating election boards and general registrar positions.

The requested records will provide transparency into the training of over 4,500 poll watchers and officials that covered over 85% of shifts in registrar’s offices and polling places in Virginia, and shed light on undue influence from outside groups in the election process. Given that nearly all groups in the VFE coalition are linked to efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, this request will provide insight into influences that may compromise Virginia election outcomes.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of any communications from July 1, 2018 to the present between the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia General Assembly mentioning abortion or the termination of a pregnancy in public hospitals. 

Georgia lawmakers have enacted stringent laws restricting access to reproductive healthcare and mandated the immediate reporting of every termination of pregnancy that occurs in the state to the Department of Public Health within ten days. Healthcare disparities vary significantly from state to state and knowing where state legislators stand on issues related to healthcare access, coverage and equity is crucial for addressing these inequities. 

It is essential to our democracy for the residents of Georgia to have the information they need to make informed decisions, including understanding whether and how often lawmakers are seeking personal information regarding individual healthcare choices. If lawmakers are seeking out this information, they could use it as a tool to intimidate, monitor and potentially criminalize healthcare providers and patients, and the public deserves to know. 

Read the request here.

CREW has requested records showing all rental or lease agreements between Trump and GSA regarding his post-presidential office in West Palm Beach, along with all payroll records for its staff members since January 20, 2021. CREW also requested records reflecting spending by Trump’s post-presidential office at all Trump properties, and all communications between Trump’s post-presidential office and Save America political action committee, Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., and Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, since January 20, 2021. 

While the GSA funds post-presidential offices and pays their staff, employees are strictly prohibited from engaging in political activities while on government time. Since Trump’s post-presidential office opened three years ago, several of his aides on the payroll have also worked for his PAC or presidential campaign. The public deserves to know if taxpayer money is being used to advance Trump’s presidential campaign, or to support personal matters, such as his private legal defense.

Read the request here.

CREW and Project South requested copies of any communications from January 1, 2023 to the present from the Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis relating to the passage and implementation of Senate Bill 264 and House Bill 1355, which went into effect despite a “statement of interest” issued by the Department of Justice stating that the bill violated the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, making it unconstitutional. Those bills ban some individuals from China from buying land in Florida, unless they have non-tourist visas and the land is under two acres and more than 5 miles from military installations. 

CREW and Project South also requested copies of all communications between DeSantis’s office and non-governmental groups about these items, as well as any communications about  either the “Chinese Communist Party” or “Chinese spies” and property.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of any communications from January 1, 2021 to the present between the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis and 39 Florida colleges and universities discussing Critical Race Theory; African American History, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); and Gender Studies/Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s studies.

CREW also requested copies of any communications between Ron DeSantis’s office and City Journal Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor Christopher F. Rufo, University of Florida President Ben Sasse, the Board of Trustees at New College of Florida, the State University System Board of Governors, the State Board of Education, the College Board and representatives from non-governmental groups on issues regarding teaching Critical Race Theory in schools.

Read the request here.

CREW requested copies of any communications from January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023 pertaining to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) or David Becker, former board member of ERIC, between the Office of the Secretary of State and state election officials of Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Florida and Missouri.

CREW also requested copies of any communications from September 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021 pertaining to ERIC, Becker, or between the present and former Secretaries of State and these states’ election officials.

Read the requests to Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Florida and Missouri.

UPDATE: On July 27, 2023, CREW received records from Florida. Review them here and here.

CREW requested all records or communications relating to and preceding publication of the law review article in the Texas Review of Law & Politics that Judge Kacsmaryk, the Texas judge who blocked mifepristone, failed to disclose to the Senate. Mifepristone is a medication used for medically induced abortions.

This requests includes but is not limited to any such communications with Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, Justin E. Butterfield, Stephanie N. Taub, or any other person affiliated with First Liberty Institute.

CREW requested the full case file for United States v. Derrick Evans, including any video or other evidence documenting Evans’s actions or or around January 6, 2021. Despite recently having taken an oath to uphold the Constitution as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, Evans encouraged his followers to travel to Washington, D.C. to “fight for Trump,” then live-streamed himself storming the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th.

Evans later resigned from public office and pled guilty to a felony charge, but on January 6th, 2023, he announced his plans to run for Congress for West Virginia’s 1st district. The requested evidence would shed light on the actions of the convicted Jan. 6th rioter during the insurrection.

Read the request to the Department of Justice here.

CREW requested all records related to the now-closed investigation conducted by the Department of Justice and the FBI of Rep. Matt Gaetz, including the DOJ’s decision not to bring criminal charges against Gaetz despite public reporting suggesting an abundance of evidence that he likely violated sex-trafficking laws, and the conviction of his close associate on similar charges. The public deserves to know whether the decision not to prosecute Gaetz was motivated, even in part, by anything other than the sufficiency of the evidence against him.

Read the requests to the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, FBI, and Criminal Division of the DOJ.

CREW requested all communications between the office of Governor Doug Ducey and Centene Corporation. This request was filed in response to reporting that AZ inmates weren’t receiving adequate COVID care from healthcare provider Centurion, which received a contract with the state after it donated to Governor Doug Ducey and other politicians.

Read the requests to the Office of Governor Ducey and Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry.

UPDATE: CREW received records that revealed reports of mistreatment and neglect in Arizona prisons in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the four part investigation: 

• I: Arizona prisoner: Inmates were given do-not-resuscitate status against their will during COVID-19
• II: Records reveal allegations of Arizona prisoners suffering rampant mistreatment and neglect during COVID
• III: Arizona prison staff faced division and frustration surrounding COVID-19 failures
• IV: GEO Group, Centurion allegedly mismanaged COVID-19 in Arizona prisons

On December 29, 2022, CREW also received records from Governor Ducey’s office. Review them here.