(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today
that U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the U.S. State
Department to request that Hillary Clinton and her top aides confirm,
under penalty of perjury, that they have produced all government records
in their possession, return any other government records immediately,
and describe their use of Hillary Clinton’s email server to conduct
government business. The court issued the ruling late today after
holding a status hearing in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information lawsuit that sought records about Huma Abedin, the former Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:13-cv-01363)). The lawsuit reopened last month because of revelations about Hillary Clinton’s email records.
The text of Judge Sullivan’s minute order, which was issued at 5:46 pm:
As agreed by the parties at the July 31, 2015 status hearing,
the Government shall produce a copy of the letters sent by the State
Department to Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Ms. Huma Abedin and Ms. Cheryl Mills
regarding the collection of government records in their possession.
These communications shall be posted on the docket forthwith. The
Government has also agreed to share with Plaintiff’s counsel the
responses sent by Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Abedin and Ms. Mills. These
communications shall also be posted on the docket forthwith. In
addition, as related to Judicial Watch’s FOIA requests in this case, the
Government is HEREBY ORDERED to: (1) identify any and all servers,
accounts, hard drives, or other devices currently in the possession or
control of the State Department or otherwise that may contain responsive
information; (2) request that the above named individuals confirm,
under penalty of perjury, that they have produced all responsive
information that was or is in their possession as a result of their
employment at the State Department. If all such information has not yet
been produced, the Government shall request the above named individuals
produce the information forthwith; and (3) request that the above named
individuals describe, under penalty of perjury, the extent to which Ms.
Abedin and Ms. Mills used Mrs. Clinton’s email server to conduct
official government business. The Government shall inform the Court of
the status of its compliance with this Order no later than August 7,
2015, including any response received from Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Abedin and
Ms. Mills. Signed by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on July 31, 2015.
“This blockbuster ruling is the most significant legal development to
date in the ongoing Clinton email scandal. Hillary Clinton will now
have to answer, under penalty of perjury, to a federal court about the
separate email server she and her aides used to avoid accountability to
the American people,” stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. “This
court action shows that the rule of law and public’s right to know will
no longer take a back seat to politics. Hillary Clinton and the Obama
administration that is covering for her are not above the law.”
Source: Judicial Watch, here.
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