Court: Uncle Sam Must Hand Over Immunity Lobbying Docs – Judge denies Uncle Sam’s third stalling attempt…

William — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:25:24 +0000

As we mentioned last week a U.S. Judge has repeatedly demanded that Uncle Sam hand over documents highlighting how AT&T and Verizon lobbied the government for immunity from prosecution in their role in the government’s warrantless wiretapping program. But the Obama administration lawyers have repeatedly tried to stall the release of the documents — likely so they aren’t released while Congress is busy discussing the government’s domestic surveillance programs. For the third time the courts have denied Uncle Sam’s efforts to delay the release of these documents, arguing that release is in the public interest:

“current administration’s pointed directive on transparency in government, and the public’s renewed interest in the question of legal immunity for the telecommunications companies that participated in the warrantless wiretapping program while considering currently pending legislation repealing the amendments to FISA, the Court finds that the public interest lies in favor of disclosure.”

Needless to say (though the Judge says it anyway), the Obama Administration’s refusal to hand over this documentation during Congressional discussions of domestic wiretapping flies in the face of the administration’s claims that transparency is a priority. Read comment(s)

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Court: Uncle Sam Must Hand Over Immunity Lobbying Docs – Judge denies Uncle Sam’s third stalling attempt…