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Judge Rules That JFK Researcher Can Sue CIA 3/15/2014 6:58:10 AM
An article written by Kevin Lessmiller for Courthouse News Service reports that the Central Intelligence Agency can be sued by Anthony Bothwell, a citizen investigating the murders of John and Robert Kennedy. The CIA, which has withheld sensitive files for over a half-century is finally being brought to court for obfuscating justice.
I have reprinted the article in its entirety below (bad grammar and all). Of particular note is the CIA's arrogant, almost condescending replies to previous attempts at getting the agency to release its files on the murders of the century. The covert operatives suspectged of being involved in JFK's assassination could not have their files released because it would expose "intelligence sources and methods information...and are operation files." Notice that the CIA did not respond, "Hell no, you can't have the files on these individuals because they were not involved in murdering the President." Instead the response was, "Making these records public will expose our secrets."
I contend that if these secrets involve murdering the POTUS, then we ought to do what JFK recommended to his advisors: "Splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the wind."
(CN) - The CIA must face claims over withheld records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Sen. Robert Kennedy, a federal judge ruled.
Anthony Bothwell sued the CIA in November 2013 for denying his records request under the Freedom of Information Act relating to five people who may have been involved in the Kennedy assassinations in 1963 and 1968.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley on Thursday removed CIA Director John Brennan as a defendant because a FOIA request applies only to agencies and not individuals.
Though Bothwell had failed to name the CIA as a defendant, the San Francisco judge said it must answer the complaint.
"Because the CIA is sufficiently identified in the body of the complaint, plaintiff's failure to name the CIA in the caption does not mandate dismissal of the complaint against the CIA," the nine-page opinion states.
Bothwell's failure to list the CIA in the lawsuit's caption "is merely a technical error" and he properly served "both the United States and the CIA," according to the ruling.
In his complaint, Bothwell described himself as a San Francisco attorney who graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Law and later taught courses there.
His initial FOIA request sought all records related to three people allegedly connected to JFK's assassination: Johnny Roselli, Jean Souetre and David Morales,
As to RFK's assassination, Bothwell sought records Thane Eugene Cesar and Enrique Hernandez.
The CIA told Bothwell that it no responsive records were generated for the three people possibly connected to the JFK assassination and if such records did exist, they would be FOIA-exempt as "intelligence sources and methods information."
It flat-out denied the records request pertaining to the two individuals allegedly associated with RFK's assassination, saying that the records are "operational files" and are exempt from the FOIA.
