The U.S. appeals court for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the FBI could not withhold records of an investigation into former House Majority Leader Tom Delay’s relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The court stated that public interest outweighed DeLay’s privacy concerns. DeLay was never charged in the case, but two of his aides were indicted. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) brought the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. (Politico, April 1, 2014, by Josh Gerstein)
Abramoff pled guilty to a criminal charge of conspiracy and bribing members of Congress. Judge Karen Henderson wrote, “Although a substantial privacy interest is at stake here, in light of the similarly substantial countervailing public interest, the balance does not characteristically tip in favor of non-disclosure.” (Courthouse News Service, April 3, 2014, by Jack Bouboushian)
In a press release, April 1, 2014, CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said, “The scandals related to Tom Delay’s leadership of the House of Representatives were some of the most serious cases of public corruption in recent memory. Incredibly, the Justice Department refused to prosecute him or adequately respond to our FOIA requests to learn why they refused. Today’s decision is a big win for anyone who believes that powerful people should not be shielded from scrutiny when they flagrantly violate the law.”