Judge rips EPA for 'offensively unapologetic' handling of conservative group's email request

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Washington Free Beacon:

A federal judge rebuked the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday for discriminating against a conservative group, saying the agency was either lying or apathetic in its response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

 

In a blistering 25-page opinion, Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia said that although the Landmark Legal Foundation -- a conservative public interest law firm -- had not sufficiently proven that the EPA acted in bad faith against it to be awarded punitive damages, the EPA has been "offensively unapologetic" and "continues to demonstrate a lack of respect for the FOIA process."

 

"It is obvious to this Court that EPA has, once again, fumbled its way through its legally unambiguous FOIA obligations," Lamberth wrote.

 

In 2012, the Landmark Legal Foundation filed a FOIA request with the EPA seeking communications between senior agency officials and outside groups to determine whether the EPA postponed controversial regulations until after the 2012 election.

 

However, the EPA performed inadequate searches of senior officials' email accounts -- including then-Administrator Lisa Jackson and deputy administrator Robert Perciasepe -- and initially failed to search Jackson's personal email account and Blackberry, even though she frequently used both to perform government business. Jackson's Blackberry was scrubbed after she resigned from the agency in February 2013.

 

"Either EPA intentionally sought to evade Landmark's lawful FOIA request so the agency could destroy responsive documents, or EPA demonstrated apathy and carelessness toward Landmark's request," Lamberth said. "Either scenario reflects poorly upon EPA and surely serves to diminish the public's trust in the agency."

________

 

Don't ask us questions, we're the EPA...

[Cyber_Liberty]

Judge Lamberth is an interesting person. He was appointed by Reagan, and did a stint on FISA court as Presiding Judge from 1995 to 2002..

 

Consider the case of James Rosen, the Fox News Channel reporter who's emails and phone records the DoJ illegally searched. In May, 2010, Lamberth found for the DoJ to keep hidden from Rosen the knowledge he was being investigated, on the grounds Rosen was an "UnIndicted co-Conspirator" of a felony. By November 2011 it had come to light that Holder's DoJ had lied to the Judges about the conspiracy charge to get the warrants, and Lamberth ordered them to be released to Rosen..

 

When the DoJ ignored his order to unseal the records, he personally apologized in May 2013 because the Clerk failed to unseal them. He took personal responsibility for something that wasn't his fault, but occurred under his watch.

 

Let's just say Judge Lamberth has personal reasons to be furious with Obama and Holder. Judges hate two things above all: being lied to and having their orders defied.

[Casino67]

I am currently reading "Obama's Enforcer" Eric Holder's Justice Department. Unbelievable the crap he pulls off. If you have low blood pressure, would suggest reading it for a cure.