On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered the government to release redacted portions of the Mueller report related to Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser by May 31. In the case about false statements to FBI investigators regarding contact with the Russian Ambassador, Judge Sullivan ordered the release of parts of the redacted Mueller report and related transcripts of calls with Russian officials. This is the first instance where a judge has ordered the release of redacted portions of the Special Counsel's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. EPIC filed the first lawsuit in the nation to release the full Mueller Report. EPIC obtained the annotated version of the Special Counsel's report and has published this version at the EPIC Bookstore. EPIC's case will go forward this summer on an expedited briefing schedule. EPIC's case EPIC v. Department of Justice, No. 19-810 (D.D.C).
EPIC has sent a letter to President Trump, urging the White House to suspend the collection of personal data concerning the use of social media. The White House is seeking to collect detailed personal information including unique social profile names and citizenship status. The company hosting the form is also tracking Internet users and their devices. EPIC wrote that "this data collection is unlawful, unconstitutional, and itself a violation of the First Amendment." EPIC pointed to the failure of the White House to undertake a privacy impact assessment. EPIC also explained that the government may not compel people to reveal their names to exercise their First Amendment rights. EPIC previously forced the now-defunct Presidential Election Commission to delete personal voter data that it had unlawfully obtained without a Privacy Impact Assessment.
Members of the House of Representatives, led by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA, @RepMGS), have begun a public reading of the Muller Report. The reading is being broadcast live on C-SPAN. EPIC (@EPICprivacy) sued the Department of Justice for the release of the full, unredacted Mueller Report. EPIC has now obtained the document, processed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. EPIC has made the new version of the Muller Report and related documents available at Amazon. EPIC's FOIA case is on an expedited briefing schedule. Briefing will continue over the summer. EPIC expects to receive additional information from the Department of Justice about the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
