Judge Amy Berman Jackson orders WH to preserve records of communications with foreign governments

[kpete]

NEW: Judge Amy Berman Jackson orders the WH to preserve records of communications with foreign governments

“all records of efforts by White House or other executive branch officials to return, "claw back," "lock down," or recall White House records reflecting Defendants' meetings, phone calls, and other communications with foreign leaders" is awfully specific

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Garrett78]

1. I'm sure they've destroyed many already and will continue to do so.

As if they give a shit what a judge tells them to do.

And even if they aren't destroying records, they won't turn over those records. Subpoenas mean nothing to them. Sadly, whistleblowers are our only hope.

[mitch96]

8. Agree.. I can smell the paper/hard drives burning now................ nt

[canetoad]

2. Explainer: which particular lawsuit

Among the hundreds 45 is involved in.

..snip
The order came in a lawsuit filed in May by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as well as two history-focused organizations: the National Security Archive and the Society for the History of American Foreign Relations. The suit alleged that the White House was failing to maintain and putting at risk records of presidential actions required to be documented by the Presidential Records Act.

While the suit predated the Ukraine controversy, lawyers pressing the case asked Jackson on Tuesday for a temporary restraining order, citing reports that records of Trump’s phone calls with the president of Ukraine and some other leaders had been removed from the usual database at the White House and moved to another one not typically used for those calls.

Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday that the White House had already taken steps to secure many of the records the plaintiffs expressed concern about. The filing also suggested that in response to the request for a restraining order, White House lawyers broadened an existing instruction to preserve records of Trump’s foreign interactions.

Justice Department attorneys said those actions met a request by the judge to “moot” the groups’ request for a restraining order.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/05/judge-trump-records-foreign-leaders-031255

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. thanks!

[Iliyah]

4. I don't believe the WH nor the DOJ.

State Department either. Actually I do not trust the present administration nor the Republican party.

[BigmanPigman]

5. You're smart not to.

[Midnight Writer]

6. Anyone remember Ollie North and his "shredding party"?

I wonder if there will be a traitor in today's Administration that would destroy evidence?

[blueinredohio]

7. They don't care what a judge says.

Who's going to stop them? No one. What's going to happen to them if they do? Nothing. Until democrats get tough and start jailing and fining people they're going to do whatever they want to and get away with it.

[Garrett78]

9. This administration has repeatedly ignored judge's orders without consequences.

Unfortunately, between claims of executive privilege and the process for locking people up potentially taking years, there's no easy answer.

They know they can ignore subpoenas and get away with it, because we simply don't have years to fight a court battle.