Latest news with #JudicialWatch
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Decision to remove West Point crest from chapel Bibles reversed by secretary of the Army
EXCLUSIVE: The secretary of the Army has ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to restore the school's crest on the Bibles at the West Point Cadet Chapel, reversing a Biden-era decision to not include the crest when replacing the Bibles. "Since the founding of West Point and before, generations of cadets, officers, and Soldiers have drawn strength and inspiration from God's word," Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. "The decision to remove the Academy's historic crest from the Bibles in the Cadet Chapel is yet another example of the previous administration pushing far-left politics into our military institutions. I am directing West Point to reverse this decision immediately and restore this important symbol of Duty, Honor, Country." Driscoll's statement comes after Fox News Digital first reported that a conservative judicial and government watchdog group had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense over documents regarding why the crest was absent from the new Bibles. A spokesperson for West Point declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital on Friday. Judicial Watch first submitted a FOIA request in December 2024 seeking records related to the Bibles, after the MacArthur Society, a group for West Point graduates concerned about potential politicization at the military academy, notified them of the removal of the crest from the Bibles. When asked for comment about the new Bibles, a spokesperson for West Point told Fox News Digital that the chapel's Bibles now feature the name of the military academy. "The bibles purchased for the West Point Cadet Chapel are emblazoned with 'The United States Miliary Academy, West Point, New York,'" the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital Wednesday. Judicial Watch filed the original FOIA request to learn more about the decision, due to concerns that the military academy is seeking to eliminate ties with what the group labels "traditional values." But after receiving no response for the documents, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense for the documents Tuesday. "Judicial Watch's heavy lifting gets results," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. "Goes to show again how our lawsuits exposing corruption can fix corruption. The US Army and West Point can't go wrong in honoring God." The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on pending litigation. Combining religious content or symbols with military material has faced backlash historically. In 2012, all four branches of the military pulled approval for a military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles that had been sold in military exchanges amid concerns that the series indicated that the Bible served as the official religious text of the military services, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The West Point crest has undergone several iterations but historically has included an eagle above the school's mascot, the Black Knights. West Point is one of several U.S. military academies that train students to become military officers.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
West Point Bible crest controversy spurs Pentagon lawsuit from conservative watchdog
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! FIRST ON FOX: A conservative judicial and government watchdog group has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense over documents related to a controversy surrounding the U.S. Military Academy at West Point crest on Bibles in the West Point Cadet Chapel. Judicial Watch originally submitted a FOIA request in December 2024 for documents related to the Bibles, after the MacArthur Society, a group for West Point graduates concerned about potential politicization at the military academy, tipped them off to the potential removal of the crest. The original request for the documents said: "Upon information and belief, the West Point Crest has appeared on the cover of the Bibles in the West Point Chapel since 1984, but circa December 2024, the Crest has been removed from the Bibles." It's unclear why the crest was removed, prompting Judicial Watch to file the original FOIA request to learn more about the decision, amid concerns that the military academy is seeking to wipe out any affiliation with what the group calls "traditional values." Mixing religious material with military paraphernalia has come under scrutiny in the past. For example, all four branches of the military yanked approval in 2012 for a military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles that were sold at military exchanges, due to concerns that the series signaled the Bible was the official religious text of the military services, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The West Point crest has undergone multiple variations, but historically has featured an eagle above the school's mascot, the Black Knights. A spokesperson for West Point told Fox News Digital that the chapel's Bibles now feature the name of the military academy. "The bibles purchased for the West Point Cadet Chapel are emblazoned, 'The United States Miliary Academy, West Point, New York,'" the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The Department of Defense told Fox News Digital it does not comment on pending litigation. WEST POINT DECISION TO CUT 'DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY' FROM MISSION STATEMENT UNDER FIRE AGAIN' Even so, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit for the documents pertaining to the Bibles Tuesday after receiving no response for the requested records. "It appears the Biden administration and its leftist accomplices were determined to sever all connections between West Point and traditional values," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "They added divisive DEI programs to the curriculum and removed 'Duty, Honor, Country' from the Military Academy's mission statement. Now, we learn they removed the West Point crest from Bibles in the West Point Chapel. It's a wonder they didn't remove the Bibles." This isn't the first time West Point has come under scrutiny from the conservative watchdog. HEGSETH QUIPS '99.9%' OF DEI INITIATIVES ARE GONE FROM THE MILITARY UNDER TRUMP'S WATCH In May, Judicial Watch claimed that West Point engaged in a "cover up" scheme when it altered its mission statement in 2024 from "duty, honor, country" to "Army Values." According to the watchdog group, the change was part of an effort to advance a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda. Even so, West Point's mission statement has been changed nine times in the past century, and the words "duty, honor, country" didn't make it into West Point's mission statement until 1998. When asked about the mission statement change in May, an Army spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland's original announcement: "Our absolute focus on developing leaders of character ready to lead our Army's Soldiers on increasingly lethal battlefields remains unchanged." West Point is one of several U.S. military academies that trains students to become military officers. TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT 'PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM'
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Conservative group sues DOJ over records on 2024 Trump assassination attempt
The conservative group Judicial Watch sued the Department of Justice over alleged Freedom of Information Act violations following the denial of its request for records related to the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in July 2024. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a day before the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Trump's July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed Trump's right ear, and an attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed. Officials identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot and killed by Secret Service. The complaint says Judicial Watch submitted a FOIA request to the FBI on July 24, 2024, for 'all records' related to Crooks and 'all records of communication in any form' between Crooks and FBI officials, sources, contractors or assets. The FBI denied the request in a letter on Aug. 5, 2024, according to the complaint. The Justice Department's Office of Information Policy then rejected the organization's appeal on Aug. 21, 2024. 'No more delays and excuses, the FBI should release what it has on the man who tried to kill President Trump a full year ago in Butler,' Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a July 14 news release. 'Attorney General Pam Bondi should direct a full and immediate records response to this Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuit.' The lawsuit requests that the court require the Justice Department to search for and produce 'any and all non-exempt records' related to its request. The organization also sued the Department of Homeland Security in March over records related to the shooting. USA TODAY reached out to the Justice Department for comment. BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@ USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bannon Demands Trump Appoint a Special Prosecutor to Probe the Epstein Files
Steve Bannon has demanded that President Donald Trump hire a special prosecutor to probe the Epstein files amid a flurry of criticism. His call comes after the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed in a leaked memo that no 'client list' exists for accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and that the billionaire financier died by suicide, rather than being murdered, in his New York prison cell in August 2019—both the subject of widespread conspiracy theories among Trump's MAGA base. Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, was caught up in the scandal when Elon Musk claimed he appeared in the Epstein files. He has denied this, as has the disgraced financier's brother, Mark Epstein. Speaking to British broadsheet The Telegraph, Bannon said Attorney General Pam Bondi should step aside and let an independent investigator get to the bottom of the case. 'The attorney general, I believe, needs to go to the court and ask for a complete unsealing of all the files–and answer Tom Fitton's Judicial Watch lawsuit and release of all the documents,' he said. Judicial Watch, a conservative activist group, has launched a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit to obtain records regarding Epstein and his so-called 'client list.' The nonprofit provided an update on Monday, saying that the DOJ and the FBI have said they 'continue to search for and review records.' This, however, contradicts the leaked memo—first reported on by Axios on Sunday—that the case is essentially closed. Author Michael Wolff, meanwhile, told the Daily Beast Podcast that 'Bannon and Epstein were very close' and that it was Bannon who informed Wolff of Epstein's arrest in August 2019. 'Bannon was very concerned about [the arrest],' he told the podcast's host, Joanna Coles, chief creative and content officer at the Daily Beast. The Trump biographer also recounted the first time the two men met—an event he witnessed firsthand. 'During the 2016 [presidential] campaign, you were the only person I was afraid of,' Bannon told the financier, according to Wolff. 'Meaning that he had stories about Donald Trump, that should they surface,' Coles remarked. Wolff agreed, saying that Bannon thought Epstein was 'the one person who had the goods' on Trump. Asked about the significance of the DOJ suggesting there's nothing further to the case, the author responded that the attorney general merely 'takes orders' from the president. He claimed she was told that, when she took the job, she would 'carry water for the president of the United States.' 'You work for him,' she was told, according to Wolff. Bondi has also been slammed for the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files. 'It is sitting on my desk to be reviewed,' she said on Fox News in February. Bondi orchestrated the much-publicized release of files related to Epstein, giving them directly to right-wing influencers. She said on Fox News that the files were sure to 'make you sick.' When the released files featured no bombshells and contained information that had previously been released, high-profile MAGA figures began to call for her head. At a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Bondi explained her comments on Fox News. 'In February, I did an interview on Fox that is getting a lot of attention because I was asked a question about the client list,' Bondi explained. 'My response was, 'It is sitting on my desk to be reviewed,' meaning the files, along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That is what I meant by that.' Trump angrily intervened when Bondi was asked about Epstein, attempting to shut down the question and brush the issue under the rug. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?' Trump asked. 'This guy's been talked about for years. ... We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.' The Daily Best has reached out to the White House for comment.
American Military News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Epstein files still under review by Trump DOJ, gov't watchdog says
A government watchdog organization revealed on Wednesday that a new joint court filing with the Justice Department indicates that the Trump administration is still reviewing records related to deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein for a potential release. In a Wednesday press release, Judicial Watch announced that it filed a 'joint status report' in federal court on Monday, 'reporting that the Justice Department and the FBI continue to search for and review records in response to Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records regarding Jeffrey Epstein.' According to Judicial Watch, the government watchdog's FOIA lawsuit is requesting any records regarding Epstein's associates or clients. 'The Justice Department's disclosure is at odds with the leaked, unsigned and undated Justice Department/FBI memo that suggests no more Epstein records would be disclosed to the American public,' Judicial Watch stated in Wednesday's press release. In the memo released earlier this week by the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), federal officials announced that a 'thorough investigation' into Epstein led FBI investigators to conclude that 'Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.' READ MORE: Video: FBI reveals shocking new info on Jeffrey Epstein 'suicide' The memo also stated, 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list.' There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.' According to Wednesday's press release, Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department and the FBI in April after the agencies 'failed to adequately respond' to three FOIA requests the government watchdog filed in February regarding Epstein. Judicial Watch noted that while the FOIA requests were sent to the Justice Department's Office of Information Policy, the Justice Department's Criminal Division, and the FBI, President Donald Trump's administration has not provided 'one document' to the organization or revealed when any of the requested documents may be released. 'The Justice Department and FBI are sending out contradictory messages: telling the American people that no more Epstein material will be released, while telling the federal court in our case that the Epstein FOIA review is proceeding,' Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. 'But no matter, our FOIA lawsuit for the Epstein material continues. We will be relentless in demanding transparency under law.'
