| For Immediate Release Jan 9, 2001 |
Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
Labor Secretary-Designate Apparently “Done In” By Smear Tactics Of Clinton-Gore Agents Were FBI Files Illegally Used? Judicial Watch To Find Out! (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and is now prosecuting a $90 million class-action Filegate lawsuit, announced today that it will investigate the circumstances behind the release of information concerning Linda Chavez, which led to the new Bush-Cheney Administration’s abandoning her as Labor Secretary-designate. Ms. Chavez, who is a strong critic of affirmative action, the minimum wage and other socialist-oriented schemes, may have been the victim of information being leaked from her FBI file, much as has occurred throughout the Clinton-Gore Administration. Previously, in the context of Judicial Watch’s Filegate lawsuit, it was discovered that information from confidential, Privacy Act-protected government files of Linda Tripp and Kathleen Willey were leaked to destroy their reputations. In the case of Kathleen Willey, Judicial Watch obtained a Court finding that the leak of information from her government file by President Bill Clinton and his accomplices (including Hillary Clinton), constituted a criminal violation of the Privacy Act. Clearly, what may have happened with Linda Chavez fits within the pattern of the illegal conduct which Judicial Watch has disclosed in its Filegate lawsuit. CNN and AP reported that Bush advisors forced Linda Chavez to withdraw her nomination. “While Judicial Watch would not condone the harboring of an illegal immigrant, Ms. Chavez was innocent until proven guilty. Accordingly, the new Bush-Cheney Administration should not have abandoned her unless and until such time as all the facts were known to the American people. In this regard, Judicial Watch intends to find out whether Ms. Chavez’s privacy rights were violated, such as occurred in Filegate. If indeed this occurred, the public interest law firm is prepared to take appropriate legal action in its various lawsuits,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. | |