Judicial Watch: FBI to Ask Strzok and Page to Preserve Records
Court Orders Production of 13,000 Pages of Strzok/Page Emails – Court Agrees to FBI’s Two-Year Production Schedule
(Washington, DC) –The Justice Department informed Judicial Watch late last week that “the FBI plans to send letters to Peter Strzok and Lisa Page asking them to preserve agency records on their personal accounts and personal devices and requesting confirmation that they are doing so.” Judicial Watch made the preservation request to the FBI as part of its Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit for records of the two current and former FBI officials.
On May 21, U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered the FBI to begin processing 13,000 pages of previously undisclosed emails exchanged exclusively between FBI officials Strzok and Page between February 1, 2015, and December 2017. The first 500 pages of records are to be processed by June 29, 2018.
(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") shall process the 500 pages of potentially responsive records and produce any responsive, non-exempt records to the plaintiff on or before June 29, 2018;
(2) after June 29, 2018, the FBI, on a monthly basis, shall process 500 pages of potentially responsive records and produce any responsive, non-exempt records to the plaintiff; and
(3) on September 1, 2018, and thereafter on a quarterly basis (once every three months), on the first day of the month (or, if the first falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day), the parties shall file a joint status report advising the Court of the FBI's progress in processing the request.
Prior to the judge’s order, on May 17, Judicial Watch filed a joint status report in federal court regarding the production of Strzok-Page documents. According to the report, between April 5 and May 4, 2018, the FBI processed only 35 pages of potentially responsive records identified as travel requests, authorizations, vouchers and expense reports for Strzok and Page, and 16 pages were released.
On May 2 the FBI wrote a letter to Senator Grassley saying it had not requested information from the personal email accounts of Strzok and Page:
[T]he FBI has not requested from Ms. Page or Mr. Strzok any information from their personal email accounts, nor as the FBI conducted searches of non-FBI-issued communications devices or non-FBI e ii accounts associated with Mr. Strzok or Ms. Page. The status report also details the FBI’s promise to try to preserve the Strzok-Page records from their personal devices.
The developments come in Judicial Watch’s January 2018 FOIA lawsuit against the Justice Department (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:18-cv-00154)) after it failed to respond to Judicial Watch’s December 4, 2017, FOIA request seeking:
Strzok and Page were deeply involved in the Clinton email scandal and served on the Mueller investigation team. Strzok was reportedly removed from Mueller’s team in August and reassigned to a human resources position after it was discovered that he and FBI lawyer Page, who worked for FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and with whom Strzok was carrying on an extramarital affair, exchanged stridently pro-Clinton and anti-Trump text messages.
Strzok also reportedly oversaw the FBI’s interviews of former National Security Adviser, General Michael Flynn. He changed former FBI Director James Comey’s language about Hillary Clinton’s actions regarding her illicit email server from “grossly negligent” to “extremely careless” and played a lead role in the FBI’s interview of Clinton. Strzok is suspected of being responsible for using the unverified dossier to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant in order to spy on President Trump’s campaign.
“The FBI has been slippery when it comes to records about the Clinton and Russia scandal fiascos, so we’re pleased the Bureau is taking steps to make sure government records don’t go missing,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “On the other hand, the FBI’s purposeful slow-walking of the Strzok-Page materials shows contempt for both transparency law and the public interest in figuring out how and why the FBI was politicized to target President Trump, while protecting Hillary Clinton. Director Wray and Attorney General Sessions should step up and speed up the release of these documents.”
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With President Trump soon expected to sign into law a bill that not only rolls back some key post-Great Recession banking rules, but also makes credit freezes free for all consumers, WalletHub’s experts today provided some important context for the changes. You can find some highlights below.
WalletHub’s experts are also available to provide additional commentary on the impact of the new law.
Governor Jeb Bush to serve as Honorary Chair of CER 25th Anniversary Celebration
The Road to Innovation for ONE America
WASHINGTON, DC May 23, 2018-- In the 25 years the Center for Education Reform (CER) has been leading the fight for innovation and opportunity in education, we’ve been privy to the best hearts and minds that one could ever hope to bring together under one tent to expand educational excellence. In celebration of its Silver Anniversary, CER announced today that Governor Jeb Bush will serve as the Honorary Chair of the 25th Anniversary Summit and Gala scheduled for October 25-26, 2018 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, Florida.
"The Center for Education Reform's 25 years of bold leadership and relentless advocacy for freedom, innovation and quality in education have changed the lives of millions of students across the nation. This milestone is an opportunity for education reformers to come together to celebrate the many successes in our mission to transform education and reflect on how we can achieve even better results for future generations of Americans," said Jeb Bush. "It is my honor to serve as Honorary Chair and I urge other leaders to join us for this special event."
“We are thrilled that Gov. Bush will be spearheading our events, particularly given the impact of his work in Florida and across the nation,” said CER’s Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen.
“CER’s Silver Summit and Gala is in Miami not only because the area is host to some of the most innovative efforts in education but because it is the gateway to Latin America. In the coming days and weeks we will be formally announcing our partners, our honorees, and our innovators who work to transform education for learners at all levels, K through Career.”
For more information, please follow us @edreform, on Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter at edreform.com.
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Sarah Wheeler releases ‘Finding Me’
Book chronicles struggles of young girl’s life to woman who wants help others
CALDWELL, Idaho — Her personal experiences of going through hardships and trauma, and how she overcame them motivated Sarah Wheeler to pen “Finding Me” (published by Balboa Press), a self-help book written in hopes to uplift others that have been struggling with mental health issues. “Even though I struggled with putting myself out there for the public eye, I feel that a soul needs this book written,” Wheeler states.
According to Wheeler, the book will take the reader through hardships that had built a woman who has made it a mission to help others by shining a light, a beacon of sorts. Her trials started at a young age and progressed until her father passed away in her early 30s.
“There (are) a lot of people who suffer from mental health (issues), who have been sexually, physically and emotionally abused,” Wheeler points out. “Those people and (their) families can read it and feel a connection or understanding.
Through the book, Wheeler hopes to reach out to those who are struggling with mental health issues. She reminds them to not suffer silently and get help, for they are not alone and they have a purpose in life.
“Finding Me”
By Sarah Wheeler
Hardcover | 6x9 in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781504399357
Softcover | 6x9 in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781504399364
E-Book | 108 pages | ISBN 9781504399340
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Sarah Wheeler only wants to celebrate the great accomplishments in life that she never thought she would be able to see. Striving to stay alive and falling to symptoms of depression and ideation, she has been able to find her way, enjoying her journey.
Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc. – a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with indie book publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today. For the latest, follow @balboapress on Twitter.
