Am. Atheists Files FOIA to Force WH to Release Records Regarding Dobson

[Synnical]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2005

ATHEIST GROUP FILES FOIA ACTION TO FORCE
WHITE HOUSE DISCLOSURE OF "DOBSONGATE" RECORDS

An Atheist civil rights group announced today that it has filed a
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to force the release of any
documents and other records released by White House senior advisor Karl
Rove to James Dobson and other evangelical leaders in an effort to boost
support for Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

Last week, Dobson -- head of the "Focus on the Family" group -- boasted
that he was "privy" to "confidential" information that led him to
support the Miers nomination, and that the insider information
originated with administration operative Karl Rove. Rove is already the
subject of a federal grand jury probe in another matter for his alleged
leaking of the identity of a CIA agent.

Attorney Edwin Kagin filed the FOIA request on behalf of American
Atheists. Kagin noted that ordinarily the president and the White House
staff are exempt from FOIA actions. "By providing 'confidential'
information to someone like Dobson, the White House has surrendered its
executive privilege, and cannot hide behind a FOIA exemption to conceal
this information from Congress and the American people," said Kagin.

Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, said her group is
supporting the efforts of legislators like Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado
to find out exactly what "confidential" information was provided to
religious right leaders, including Dobson.

"The Bush administration is not sharing all of the background
information on Miers with the Senate Judiciary Committee, the media and
the American people," said Johnson. "But Karl Rove can pick up the
phone and pass this background on to extremist preachers like James Dobson."

"What's wrong with this picture?"

Edwin Kagin said that the FOIA request is the first of its kind of which
he is aware to force disclosure of White House records on the basis
that Executive Privilege has been suspended. "They can't argue national
security or any other sort of exemption here," said Kagin. "They shared
information with a private citizen who happens to be a powerful
religious right supporter of the Bush administration. This is about
politics, not the war on terror or national security, and the American
people have every right to know what is in these documents."

Mr. Kagin added: "American Atheists is actively contesting the giving of
'confidential' information about a Supreme Court nominee to the
Religious Right -- information that is denied the U.S. Senate and the
American people."


AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights
for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and
addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.

American Atheists, Inc.
P. O. Box 5733
Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[progressoid]

1. Well thats cool, but I suspect it will go nowhere.

Lets see...first there will be the dragging of feet. Then the lost forms. Maybe a little outright lying and deception. And lets not forget the lawsuit to protect Karl's privacy.

It would be nice if it works, but I'm seeing this glass as half empty.