Blogger News Network

June 2, 2006 

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered four U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to give testimony after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit was filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

Judge Emmet Sullivan granted a motion for discovery by CREW to serve depositions to James Kovaka and Steve Brady, both attorneys with the DOJ responsible for processing FOIA requests in the case. Also ordered to provide testimony were Daniel Metcalfe, head of the DOJ'S Office of Information and Privacy, and Robert McCallum, Associate Attorney General whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to Australia is currently pending in the Senate.

CREW sued after the DOJ failed to respond to the group request for information relating to the lowering of the government penalty request from $130 billion to $10 billion in the landmark case United States of America v. Philip Morris Incorporated, et al., which CREW believes to be politically motivated.

CREW specifically requested the DOJ to disclose contacts between McCallum and his former law firm, which the group says represented the tobacco companies in case.

Sources

• Emmet Sullivan "CREW v. U.S. DOJ - Memorandum opinion and order". United States District Court for the District of Columbia, June 1, 2006
• "Judge OKs US officials questioning in tobacco case". Reuters, June 1, 2006

• Pete Yost "Justice Dept. Official Faces Questioning". Associated Presst, June 1, 2006