A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit has been filed by the government watchdog group Judicial Watch to force the the Department of Justice to release documents related to the now infamous tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The meeting took place just days before Hillary Clinton spoke with FBI agents for the first time about her use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State.
Judicial Watch first filed a FOIA request almost immediately after learning of the meeting in June 2016. The group sought a number of items, including:
- All records and/or transcripts of a meeting held between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton in June 2016.
- All records of communication sent to or from officials in the Office of the Attorney General regarding the meeting held between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton in June 2016.
- All records of communication sent to or from officials in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General regarding the meeting held between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton in June 2016.
- All references to the meeting held between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton contained in day planners, calendars and schedules in the Office of the Attorney General.
“The infamous tarmac meeting between President Clinton and AG Lynch is a vivid example of why many Americans believe the Obama administration’s criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton was rigged,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement obtained by LawNewz. “Now it will be up to Attorney General Sessions at the Trump Justice Department to finally shed some light on this subversion of justice.”
The meeting became a major story during the campaign and was cited as the reason Lynch essentially handed over full control of the investigation to FBI Director James Comey, though she did not formally recuse herself. Comey then made a number of decisions that reportedly frustrated Lynch and many at the DOJ who believed he was offering far too much insight into the case, considering he ultimately decided not to recommended charging Clinton criminally over her conduct.
In the days after the meeting was first reported, Lynch denied anything inappropriate was discussed during the meeting and said that she and the former president discussed friendly matters like golf and grandchildren. Clinton himself also denied discussing anything related to the pending FBI investigation into his wife’s conduct.
[image via screen grab and shutterstock]
