Thread by @seth_hettena

Here's an update on my #FOIA lawsuit for FBI files that link @realDonaldTrump to the investigation of Vyacheslav Ivankov, a major Russian gangster arrested in the US.

I'm represented by @MarkSZaidEsq and @BradMossEsq. The case is before Judge Amy Berman Jackson in DC.

1/

We appear to be in a fight over whether revealing Trump's name or his businesses in the FBI files of a Russian vor (top-level gangster) would infringe on his privacy rights.

2/

The government filed a motion for summary judgement last week, arguing that 150 pages were properly withheld from me under various #FOIA exemptions.

Notably, the DOJ is silent on the issue of whether Trump's name appears in the file.

3/

After foreign government information, the #FOIA exemption cited most often on the 150 withheld pages involved "names and identifying information of third parties who were of investigative interest to the FBI."

4/

"Release of the identities of these individuals to the public could subject them to harassment or embarrassment, as well as undue public attention," the DOJ says.

5/

The DOJ wants to submit a short declaration for Judge Jackson's eyes only.

The declaration will provide additional support for withholding under #FOIA exemption 7(E) -- "highly sensitive law enforcement techniques and procedures."

6/

I appreciate the thoroughness, but the 7(E) exemption doesn't appear to be germane. It applies to 5 pages released in part that don't mention Trump.

7/

Worth noting that these documents are 25 years old and were produced between Ivankov's US arrival in 1992 and his 1995 arrest.

During that time, he was spotted at Trump's Taj Mahal casino. The FBI found Trump Org and Trump Tower personal residence numbers in his address book.