Abramoff Scandal | Law | Politics

Lamberth orders disclosure of White House records

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Judge Royce C. Lamberth on Monday ordered the Bush administration to release logs of visitors to the White House.

Lamberth said the logs created by the Secret Service are public records. He said they should be released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog, filed a FOIA request for all records of White House visits by prominent Christian conservatives.They include James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Gary Bauer.

In a second ruling, Lamberth said he doesn't have jurisdiction to order the Secret Service to stop destroying certain White House records. He said the records are already covered by a government policy against destruction.

For the second case, CREW sued for records of White House visits by convicted lobbyist Abramoff and his associates. Abramoff is serving a prison term for bank fraud and tax evasion and has pleaded guilty to defrauding his tribal clients.

Get the Story:
White House told to detail Christian leader visits (Reuters 12/17)
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Judge: White House visitor logs are public (AP 12/17)
Judge rules against White House on visitor logs (The Hill 12/18)
Secret Service Logs of White House Visitors Are Public Records, Judge Rules (The Washington Post 12/18)
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White House Visitor Logs Are Public, Judge Rules (The New York Times 12/18)
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Court Decisions:
CREW v. DHS | CREW v. DHS

Relevant Links:
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - http://www.citizensforethics.org