JW Sues State/USAID for Soros' Records in Romania and Colombia
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The Judicial Watch ® JUNE 2018 VOLUME 24 / ISSUE 6 A News Publication from Judicial Watch VerdictA News PublicationWWW.JUDICIALWATCH.ORG from Judicial Watch Judicial Watch Reacts To Firing Of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe by Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Attorney General Sessions did the right thing in firing Andrew McCabe for repeatedly making statements to investigators that “lack candor.” The FBI is not above the law. Mr. McCabe’s dishonesty taints both the Clinton email inquiry and Russia collusion investigation targeting President Trump, including the Mueller operation. Mr. McCabe should have been ousted from the AP IMAGES FBI many months ago, when Judicial Watch first Fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe See MCCABE on page 2 3 JW Sues State/USAID For Soros’ Message from Records In Romania And Colombia the President 6 Three active FOIA lawsuits relating to the Obama Court Report administration’s funding for Soros’ operations 10 Corruption Judicial Watch filed Freedom of Chronicles Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits on March 23 against the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for records relating to their funding of the political activities of the Soros Open Society Foundations of Romania (Judicial 2016 Choice Neighborhood Grant Watch v. U.S. State Department and the U.S. HUD Award Agency for International Development (No. 14 1:18-cv-00667)) and the Soros Open Society Government Foundations of Colombia (Judicial Watch v. Uncovered U.S. Department of State (No. 1:18-cv-00668)). The Soros Open Society Foundations of 18 Romania lawsuit was filed after State and In the Media AP IMAGES See SOROS on page 4 George Soros Cover Story McCabe From page 1 revealed a clear conflict of interest scandal involving his wife’s politi- cal campaign. Judicial Watch is a conservative, non-partisan American educational Judicial Watch recently uncovered foundation that promotes transparency, that McCabe, despite massive con- accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. tributions from Clinton ally Ter- Judicial Watch advocates high standards ence McAuliffe to his [McCabe’s] of ethics and morality in America’s wife’s 2015 political campaign, did public life and seeks to ensure that not recuse himself from the Clin- public officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. ton email investigation until just www a week before the 2016 presiden- Judicial Watch Board of Directors Chris Farrell, Tom Fitton, Paul Orfanedes tial election. Judicial Watch also “The McCabe firing further Editor forced out documents that show shows the need for a Carter Clews that McCabe used FBI resources full investigation of the Editorial Assistant for his wife’s campaign. These Ju- Janice Rurup dicial Watch finds spurred irresist- numerous anti-Trump and Senior Writer ible public pressure for account- other outrageous FBI abuses Dr. Larry Hunter ability for McCabe. Circulation Director under Obama and McCabe’s John Albertella Unfortunately, the FBI and DOJ mentor, James Comey.” Direct Response Marketing Manager are still withholding McCabe’s Ariana Azizkeya text messages. The McCabe firing ~ Judicial Watch President Graphic Design Consultant further shows the need for a full Tom Fitton Jeanne Minnix investigation of the numerous an- Production and Traffic Manager www Tim Wathen ti-Trump and other outrageous FBI Public Affairs Director abuses under Obama and McCabe’s Jill Farrell mentor, James Comey. the investigation into Clinton’s unse- Member Services cured, non-government email server 1 (888) 593-8442 Last year, Judicial Watch released until Tuesday, November 1, 2016, Fax (202) 646-5199 Justice Department records showing one week prior to the presidential Social Media that FBI Deputy Director Andrew election. The Clinton email probe www.JudicialWatch.org McCabe did not recuse himself from was codenamed “Midyear Exam.” www.facebook.com/JudicialWatch www.twitter.com/JudicialWatch Send your comments and questions to Editor, The Judicial Watch Verdict® c/o [email protected]. Annual suggested donation is $35. Requests should be sent to: The Judicial Watch Verdict® Judicial Watch 425 Third Street, SW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20024 The Judicial Watch Verdict® is published monthly and distributed to its members, supporters and interested parties by Judicial Watch, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1994 in the District of Columbia. Copyright 2018 by Judicial Watch © All rights reserved. Editorial content may be duplicated with attribution and without permission. WIKIPEDIA June 2018 l Vol. 24 l Issue 6 U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 2 The Verdict l JUNE 2018 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Mueller’s Russia Probe Is Out Of Control By Tom Fitton 26 predawn, guns-drawn raid of www Manafort’s home, and 10 weeks after Mueller’s appointment. Reportedly, Rosenstein’s August CYA Mueller’s team photographed memo demonstrates Manafort’s suits during the raid. In the deputy attorney general’s that when it comes to subsequent justification for the Mueller operation, Mueller’s wide-ranging investigation the Department of into matters related to Ukraine, JUDICIAL WATCH Rosenstein claims that the special Justice is willing to This month’s Message is reprinted counsel appointment order throw the rule of law out from Tom Fitton’s Fox News op-ed, was purposely vague, “without the window. April 6, 2018. confirming specific investigations It looks like the Department of Jus- involving specific individuals.” www tice botched the May 17 appointment The original memo authorizing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller’s appointment, signed by In mid-March, former Trump Rosenstein and dated May 17 last “ii. any matters that arose or presidential Campaign Chairman year, focused on Russia. It states: may arise directly from the Paul Manafort asked a judge to investigation; and dismiss Mueller’s indictment against “The Special Counsel is autho- him, arguing that Mueller over- rized to conduct the investigation “iii. any other matters within stepped his jurisdiction in the probe confirmed by then-FBI Director the scope of 28 C.F.R. § of Russian interference in the 2016 James B. Comey in testimony be- 600.4(a).” (This refers to U.S. presidential election. fore the House Permanent Select the special counsel’s original In response, the special counsel Committee on Intelligence on jurisdiction). was recently forced to pony up a March 20, 2017, including: heavily redacted memo from Deputy There is nothing about Ukraine. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “i. any links and/or coordi- The after-the-fact Rosenstein blessing the investigation into nation between the Russian memo (that had been secret for Manafort’s work with Ukraine, which government and individuals as- months!) suggests, without any evi- turned out to have been written on sociated with the campaign of dence, that the Ukrainian issue was August 2 — six days after the July President Donald Trump; and part of Mueller’s original jurisdiction. Is there another secret document authorizing Mueller to investigate any and all foreign contacts by the Trump team? Yes, Mueller could have gone back to his putative supervisor — Rod Rosenstein at the Justice Depart- ment — and asked for permission to investigate Manafort. And, yes, since no one running the Justice Depart- ment seems willing to say no to King Mueller, permission would likely have been granted. But Mueller and Rosenstein did not do that. The special counsel raided Manafort’s home (as part of the investigation already underway) and then received authorization AP IMAGES to investigate him! Mueller and Special Counsel Robert Mueller See MESSAGE on page 5 www.JudicialWatch.org 3 Cover Story Soros From page 1 USAID failed to substantively news portal Las Dos respond to an October 16, 2017 Orillas. FOIA request seeking, among other records: l “All records of com- munication, wheth- l “All records relating to any con- er by e-mails, text tracts, grants or other allocations/ messages, or instant disbursements of funds by the chats, between any State Department to the Open officials, employees Society Foundation — Romania or representatives and/or its personnel and/or any of the State Depart- OSFR subsidiary or affiliate. ment in Colombia, including Ambassa- U.S. Department of State headquarters, Washington, D.C. l “All assessments, evaluations, dor Kevin Whitaker reports or similar records relat- and any officials, ing to the work of Open Society employees or representatives of the same level as the legitimate Foundation — Romania and/or the Open Society Foundation, police and military forces, and its subsidiaries or affiliated orga- its subsidiaries/affiliates, and/ rebranding decades of massacres, nizations.” or those entities identified in the kidnappings, child soldiering, first bullet.” and drug trafficking by a criminal The Soros Open Society Foun- syndicate as simply “50 years of dations of Colombia lawsuit was As in other parts of the world, a armed conflict.” filed after State failed to respond to number of Soros-funded entities and an October 23, 2017 FOIA request projects in Romania are also funded l Fundacion Ideas para la Paz, once seeking, among other records: by the United States government. led by peace negotiator Sergio The Romanian Center for Indepen- Jaramillo, now a member of the l “All records regarding any con- dent Journalism,