The Justice Department has also asked the U.S. district court to issue a stay order blocking the release of the memo so the appellate court has time to weigh if it should be made public.
Judge Jackson authored a scathing opinion earlier this month saying the memo should not be shielded from the public. An appointee of President Obama, accused the Justice Department of being “disingenuous” about its reasons for keeping the memo private.
Portions of the memo have been released to the public, but the Justice Department has bristled over releasing the full text, arguing it fell under exceptions to the public records law for attorney-client privilege and government decision-making.
WASHINGTON
The Biden administration said Monday that it would appeal a judge’s order directing it to release in its entirety a legal memo on whether former President Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation. But it also agreed to make a brief portion of the document public.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month ordered the Justice Department to release the entire March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under then-Atty. Gen. William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was legally entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.
DOJ Moves To Block Full Memo On Trump Obstruction Decision From Release
Mandel Ngan / Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The Justice Department released a portion of an internal memo cited by former leaders as part of their decision concluding that former President Donald Trump did not obstruct justice, but in a court filing late Monday said they would seek to block the full document from release.
The move is certain to disappoint watchdog groups and Biden administration allies in Congress, who have called for transparency about alleged wrongdoing in the Trump years and accountability for officials who allegedly abused their power.
by Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
Posted May 25, 2021 12:20 am ADT
Last Updated May 25, 2021 at 12:25 am ADT
WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration said Monday that it would appeal a judge’s order directing it to release a legal memo on whether President Donald Trump had obstructed justice during the Russia investigation.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson earlier this month had ordered the Justice Department to release the March 2019 memo as part of a public records lawsuit from a Washington-based advocacy organization. She said the department, under Attorney General William Barr, had misstated the purpose of the document in arguing that it was entitled to withhold it from the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.