DC Attorney Sued Over Alleged Stonewalling Of Jan. 6 Footage Release
Trevor Schakohl on April 18, 2023
Several major media companies launched a lawsuit last week against D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) and the FBI demanding the release of U.S. Capitol surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 events as related trials continue.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had given Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a Daily Caller co-founder and honorary Daily Caller News Foundation board member, more than 44,000 hours of such footage in February, withholding the videos from every other news organization that requested them, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday. Plaintiffs subsequently submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the footage, but the EOUSA allegedly refused to grant access to it and the FBI allegedly claimed they were “unable to identify” the requested material.
“There is no basis under FOIA to withhold, in whole or in part, the records requested by Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit argues. “EOUSA has wrongfully withheld agency records in violation of FOIA.”
Graves was served court summons in the case Thursday explaining that a lawsuit had been filed against him, a Monday court filing revealed. He became D.C. U.S. Attorney in November 2021, leading an office that has pursued charges against more than 900 Jan. 6 defendants.
The Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times Company and CBS Broadcasting are all plaintiffs in the case. Their lawsuit calls for the court to force defendants to provide un-redacted access to the Jan. 6 Capitol surveillance footage “without further delay.”
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