The editor of a legal blog has sued the Department of Justice to verify his conviction that President Donald Trump lied before a joint session of Congress when he said, “According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country.” Benjamin Wittes filed a Freedom of Information Act request in April for any communications between the Justice Department and the White House before the Congressional joint session in February but got no response. (Lawfare, August 12, by Benjamin Wittes)
Lawfare investigators already determined that “when people extradited to America to face charges were excluded from the count, the ratio of foreign-born terrorism convicts dropped to 18-21% of the total — not anywhere near a ‘vast majority.'” The Justice Department might look favorably on the lawsuit since it would give them a chance to dispute Trump’s claim while dodging the appearance of defying him. (techdirt, August 17, 2017, by Tim Cushing)