(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense for records regarding the deployment of armed forces around the Capitol complex in Washington, D.C., in January and February of 2021 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Department of the Interior (No. 1:21-cv-01302)) and (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Department of Defense(No. 1:21-cv-01301)).
Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Department of Defense failed to reply to a February 19, 2021, FOIA request for:
All emails regarding the deployment of U.S. troops around the Capitol complex in Washington, D.C. sent to and from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Deputy Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley, and/or Vice Chairman Gen. John E. Hyten.
The timeframe for this request is January 6, 2021, to February 19, 2021.
Judicial Watch also filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior after the U.S. Park Police, one of its components, failed to reply to a March 18, 2021, FOIA request for:
All records of communications, including emails and text messages, between officials of the U.S. Park Police and officials of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 pro-Trump rally and/or protest at the Capitol Building.
All records of communications, including emails and text messages, between officials of the U.S. Park Police and officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 pro-Trump rally and/or protest at the Capitol Building.
All records of communications, including emails and text messages, between officials of the U.S. Park Police and officials of the U.S. Capitol Police regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 pro-Trump rally and/or protest at the Capitol Building.
All records of communications, including emails and text messages, between officials of the U.S. Park Police and officials of the offices of the House and Senate Sergeants-at-Arms regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 pro-Trump rally and/or protest at the Capitol Building.
All intelligence reports, memoranda, updates, and warnings received by the U.S. Park Police regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 pro-Trump rally and/or protest at the Capitol Building.
The timeframe for this request is December 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021.
“Judicial Watch is deeply troubled that the U.S. Park Police and the Pentagon are suppressing the many unknown facts surrounding the January 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “With those emotionally charged events shaping the political landscape, it is critical that the American people have a full account of the facts. It is disturbing that we must take the two government agencies to federal court for this basic information.”
Judicial Watch has several lawsuits regarding the January 6 incident. In March 2021, Judicial Watch filed suit against the U.S. Department of Defense for records about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s January 8, 2021, telephone call with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.
Pressure from a March 2021 Judicial Watch lawsuit helped bring to light that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes.
In February 2021, Judicial Watch announced its lawsuit against the Capitol Police for emails and video related to the January 6 riot.
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