Why Did Former AG Lynch Use an Email Alias at the DOJ?

RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen wrote today in the Daily Caller about the recent revelations about former Attorney General Loretta Lynch's use of an email alias account at the Department of Justice:

Compare this with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and her tumultuous tenure. Lynch did not recuse herself from the investigation into Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s illegal use of a private email server that handled classified information.  Like her predecessor, Eric Holder, Lynch set up an alias DOJ email account under the name Elizabeth Carlisle to handle official business. 

She secretly met with Bill Clinton at a crucial moment in the investigation.  When a reporter discovered the clandestine meeting, the Lynch DOJ went into crisis mode — strategizing, preparing talking points, and working with the mainstream media to bury the story.  Lynch was involved in the response effort, but under her “Elizabeth Carlisle” alias. 

Why set up an alias email account?  The official version is the alias account avoided people guessing the Attorney General’s email address and flooding her inbox.  It is common practice for CEOs and other high profile leaders to have an email address that does not fit the organization’s customary formula. . . . What is not common practice is to use an entirely different name altogether.  Why would Lynch, and Holder before her, adopt such a strange practice?  One reason might be to avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.  A person would request the Attorney General’s correspondence on a certain topic, but because the Attorney General had used her alias account, none of her emails would show up on a search for emails sent to or from Loretta Lynch.  As the email alias was unknown until last week, the Attorney General’s emails on sensitive subjects were largely kept from public release under FOIA.

This would be entirely in conformity with the Obama Administration’s practice of avoiding transparency whenever possible, despite claiming to be the “most transparent administration in history.”  Last July, the American Center for Law and Justice filed a FOIA request for documents relating to the Lynch-Clinton airplane meeting and the Obama FBI responded that no responsive documents existed.  After a lawsuit, over 400 pages of responsive documents were produced last week.  This is just one example of the Obama DOJ’s lack of transparency.

Mr. Thielen compared Lynch's actions with Attorney General Jeff Sessions' ethical behavior in recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.  The Trump Department of Justice has important work to do to restore a culture of ethics, responsibility, and respect for the rule of law in the law firm for the American people.

FOIA Request Seeks Information on AltFEC and Trump Resistance at FEC

Today, America's Foundation for Life and Liberty (AFLL), of which RNLA Vice President for Election Education David Warrington is Chairman and Lead Counsel, filed a FOIA request with the FEC for records related to the altFEC Twitter account:

“Our FOIA request will seek all records related to FEC staff and commissioners running an anti-Trump Administration effort out of the offices of the FEC,” said America’s Foundation for Law and Liberty Executive Director Elizabeth Tate. 

“Over the past few weeks, it has become apparent government employees at the FEC are working on government time to undermine the Trump administration, primarily through a Twitter account <altFEC>. Based on the timing of tweets, it is quite obvious FEC employees are performing their resistance campaign on government time and perhaps using government resources,” Tate continued.  “The people behind this effort are free to express their opinions on their own time and on their own dime, but they should not be using Government time and resources to further a partisan political agenda.” 

“We find this effort by so-called campaign finance reformers at the FEC hypocritical, especially since their leaders, Commissioners Ellen Weintraub and former Commissioner Ann Ravel, have long sought prohibitions on anonymous online political speech under the guise of advocating for transparency. If these ‘reformers’ want Americans to forfeit their freedom of speech for transparency, then let’s find out what has been going on at the FEC. The American people have a right to know if their tax dollars are being spent to subsidize the political activities of these partisans.”

A copy of the full FOIA request is here.  We've covered the problem of partisanship at the FEC, by both Democratic commissioners and staff, frequently in the past few weeks: 

Partisanship and Hypocrisy on Free Speech by FEC Democrats Should Concern Citizens

Left Reveals View of FEC as Tool to Oppose Republicans 

FEC Commissioner Weintraub: Using FEC Resources to Engage in Partisan Activity 

FEC Commissioner Weintraub: Hypocrite on Speech Seeks Control Over All Aspects of Federal Elections

We hope that AFLL's FOIA request will yield some information on whether FEC staff is using government resources to engage in partisan activity.  Of course, agencies provide as little as they can in response to FOIA requests as possible, but at the very least, perhaps this FOIA request will deter such activity in the future.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) to Speak at the RNLA Washington, D.C. Chapter Luncheon

The RNLA is pleased announce that Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will address our June D.C. Luncheon June 11 at the Capitol Hill Club.

Rep. Chaffetz believes strongly in a constitutionally limited federal government. During his tenure in the House, Rep. Chaffetz has served on the most important committee for rural western communities, the House Natural Resources Committee, and continues to be a prominent member of the Congressional Western Caucus. He supports federal land management policies based on multiple-use and sustained yield and believes that state management and local control are the best long-term solutions for the land and rural communities. Rep. Chaffetz has been a tireless advocate of fiscal discipline, voting consistently to cut spending, eliminate earmarks, reduce duplication and retire outdated federal programs.

On some key issues:

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Lois Leaner Requests:

Rep. Chaffetz, and Health Care, Benefits and Administrative Rules Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan, sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen requesting further information on the “special project team” established outside of the normal agency process to respond to congressional subpoenas and requests for information, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and other investigative requests relating to Lois Lerner. The existence of the “special project team” was revealed earlier this week in testimony to the Committee from Mary Howard Director of the Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure at the IRS.

Ms. Howard’s testimony could explain the interminable delays related to the IRS’s responses to the Lerner requests.  In fact, the Committee has been waiting to receive all of Ms. Lerner’s emails for more than two years.  It has been almost a year since the IRS last produced documents to the Committee, and it is just now coming to light that the IRS Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure team was stripped of its ordinary responsibility to respond to the Lerner requests.  That information might never have come to light at all without Ms. Howard’s testimony, which had to be compelled through the issuance of a subpoena.

Permanent Inspector General at DOI:

The Department’s last permanent inspector general left on February 23, 2009—more than six years ago.  Since then, the office has been managed by an acting inspector general whose tenure has been the subject of recent, significant congressional oversight and controversy… Because acting inspectors general are inherently less independent than their permanent counterparts, however, stakeholders do not have full confidence that their work is credible.  Additionally, some acting inspectors general are candidates for the permanent job, which creates an incentive to conduct less aggressive oversight of the administration.  In any event, taxpayers suffer the consequences.

National Security

:

I am committed to fighting waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.  Exposing waste, fraud, and abuse allows our fighting forces and diplomatic personnel to perform their missions with efficiency, effectiveness, and safety, while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. 

With questions or to RSVP for a pay at the door tickets (note prices increase at the door), email dc515@republicanlaywer.net.