Attny handling cases re: national security, security clearances, govt investigations, Freedom of Information Act & whistleblowing. @UofR grad. Non-partisan
15 added to My Authors
May 19 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
1/Formal statement from COL Yevgeny Vindman's (@YVindman) Legal Team re: issuance of @DoD_IG Report of Investigation that vindicated his lawful #whistleblowing activities. We look to @POTUS now.
"The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Report of Investigation issued today fully vindicates our client Colonel (COL) Yevgeny Vindman (at the time LTC). Through his protected and lawful whistleblowing activities, ...
May 18 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
1/NEWS UPDATE:
The DoD Inspector General Report of Investigation issued today fully vindicates our client then-Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman.
dodig.mil/reports.html/A…
2/Through his protected lawful whistleblowing activities, Lt. Col. Vindman properly reported misconduct involving officials within the Trump Administration's White House and National Security Council.
1/I recently came across comments by #ChadWolf, former Acting DHS Secretary, to @axios in response to the @DHSOIG report that pertained to our client #BrianMurphy.
Let me clarify facts & respond directly given Wolf blatantly distorts the truth.
"And finally, buried in the report is the fact that the grossly false whistleblower complaint against me was withdrawn"
It is true we withdrew Murphy's retaliation complaint as part of broad favorable settlement w/DHS. Given Murphy's career steps, this made sense.
May 11 • 6 tweets • 5 min read
I just have to laugh at how pathetic #Bannon is, esp his attempted knowledge of what "treason" means. 🤣 I'm a "liberal attorney"? I prob rep more conservatives than liberals in my career, sue every WH & have always been registered independent.
Tonight I filed another prepublication classification review lawsuit against @DeptofDefense. This time it was for @KellySKennedy for her forthcoming book "The Activity: My Life Inside America’s Most Secret Unit".
More info here: amazon.com/Activity-Insid…
2/Book tells story of “Ameen al-Gammal,” who immigrated from Egypt at 19, unable at time to speak English. He joined @USArmy to pay back debt he felt he owed his new country. He then rose through ranks to join military’s most secret unit.
1/NEWSFLASH: Today our client former SECDEF #ChristopherMiller submitted his manuscript "Soldier Secretary: Warnings from the Battlefield & the Pentagon about America’s Most Dangerous Enemies" to @DeptofDefense for prepublication review.
His bio is here: defense.gov/About/Biograph…
2/#TedRoyer, former Special Assistant to the President & speechwriter, is Secretary Miller's co-author.
reason.com/2022/03/14/how…
2/This case has plagued my University for several years. I have no doubt there will be strong diverging opinions and feelings about the situation.
Mar 11 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
If this is true that “there were many employees at CIA, DIA, NSA, and other IC agencies that openly stated that the January 6th terrorist attack on our Capitol was justified,” these individuals need to have their #securityclearances reviewed under Adjudicative Guideline "A".
"Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include: (1) Involvement in any act of sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, sedition, or other act whose aim is to overthrow the Government of the United States ..."
Mar 11 • 8 tweets • 5 min read
1/BREAKING NEWS:
Today, EDVA Fed Judge allowed lawsuit against warlord #KhalifaHifter (or #Haftar) to continue. Last Nov case was stayed pending Dec 2021 #Libyan elections that never occurred & likely will not until 2023.
nbcnews.com/news/world/fam…
2/Parties have until June 2022 to complete discovery & pre-trial conf will take place right after.
#Hifter also ORDERED to reimburse us for costs of two canceled depositions w/i 14 days or else default will be entered & damages hearing will occur ex parte (w/o him).
Mar 8 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
1/Important new @DHSOIG report regarding insurrectionist events of #January6th:
"I&A identified specific threat information related to the
events on January 6, 2021, but did not issue any
intelligence products about these threats until January 8, 2021."
"I&A was unable to provide its many state, local, and Federal partners with timely, actionable, and predictive intelligence."
Feb 10 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
1/My experience with the Presidential Records Act.
About 15 years ago I was bidding on this item at auction. It was described as: "Harry S. Truman Typed Letter Signed and Original Top Secret Telegram". Docs were from 1949 & dealt w/atomic energy issues & @CIA.
2/But how could there be original Top Secret doc for sale? Would be illegal to possess. Except bottom right corner has original declassification stamp from @USNatArchives that doc was declassified in 1995.
What? Why isn't this at NARA then?
Feb 4 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
1/Today we dismissed former Secretary of Defense #MarkEsper's prepublication classification review lawsuit against @DeptofDefense.
We successfully ensured this unvarnished account of his tenure in Trump's Admin will be published on schedule in May 2022.
1/Today is 36th anniversary of destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger & deaths of 7 heroes (6 astronauts & 1 teacher turned astronaut). Prior to 9/11, for my generation this tragedy was our Dealey Plaza. We all remember where we were when we heard the news.
2/We watched in horror time & time again as we heard words "Challenger, go at throttle up".
Jan 12 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
1/My firm is now rep'ing Chelsea Manning (@xychelsea). We arranged for her manuscript to be submitted to @DeptofDefense for classification review to ensure compliance w/preexisting secrecy agreements. Memoir is scheduled for Oct publication by @fsgbooks.
"An intimate, revealing memoir from activist, politician, and WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning - sharing her life story as a soldier and her journey toward self-acceptance as a trans woman with a manifesto for transparency of identity for all."
Jan 10 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
1/Saddened to have learned of passing of former Baltimore City Circuit Court Chief Judge Joseph H.H. Kaplan (1936-2021), who presided over our litigation trial to exhume remains of #JohnWilkesBooth back in 1995.
1/Today we filed lawsuit for former Trump Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to challenge @DeptofDefense prepublication classification review that is blocking portions of his manuscript from being published.
Using Havana Syndrome undermines our efforts.
2/First, I get it. Media likes a simple term to fit all examples. They don't know how else to describe what has been happening.
Respectfully, not a good enough reason.
Sep 29, 2021 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
1/Impt work by @WSJ showing depth of financial conflicts among fed judges. This is not new as 20 years ago my client ABPnews.com (now defunct) sought to annually create online access to these disclosure filings, something still missing.
wsj.com/articles/dozen…
2/We literally sued every sitting Fed judge to obtain access to their then current financial disclosure records. Many, not surprisingly, were unhappy with our legal efforts. The @WSJ article shows why.