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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Matt Jacob // 202.408.5565

CREW and Open Government Advocates Call for Congressional Hearings on Destruction of DOJ Emails

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
and 45 open-government groups sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking
members of the House Oversight and Government Reform and Senate
Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees requesting hearings
into the destruction of Department of Justice (DOJ) emails in violation
of the Federal Records Act (FRA). During an internal DOJ
investigation into the production of the infamous "torture memos," it
was discovered that relevant emails of two of the memos' authors - John
Yoo and Patrick Philbin - had been permanently deleted.

WASHINGTON

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
and 45 open-government groups sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking
members of the House Oversight and Government Reform and Senate
Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees requesting hearings
into the destruction of Department of Justice (DOJ) emails in violation
of the Federal Records Act (FRA). During an internal DOJ
investigation into the production of the infamous "torture memos," it
was discovered that relevant emails of two of the memos' authors - John
Yoo and Patrick Philbin - had been permanently deleted.

The destruction of these important government records is a loss for
government transparency and accountability. If the FRA - which requires
the preservation of records of legal, financial, and historical
significance - cannot be enforced, the Act must be reformed.

Click here to read the letter.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.