Judicial Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Justice seeking details of a reported meeting between Attorney General Merrick Garland and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley.
During the meeting, the two reportedly discussed President Trump, with Milley allegedly urging Garland to take action against “far-right” militia groups.
The lawsuit follows the Justice Department’s failure to respond to an October 15, 2024, FOIA request seeking:
Records and communications, including emails, meeting minutes, text messages, calendars, memoranda, and other documents, regarding a meeting between Garland and Milley discussing:
- President Donald Trump,
- Domestic violent extremism, or
- Far-right militia movements.
The records request spans from January 7, 2021, to the present.
The FOIA lawsuit stems from revelations in journalist Bob Woodward’s recent book, which described a January 2021 lunch meeting at the Justice Department between Garland and Milley. According to Woodward, the meeting included discussions about Trump and domestic threats, with Milley pressing Garland to investigate far-right groups. Woodward characterized the meeting as “highly unusual, if not unprecedented.”
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton expressed concerns about the implications of the meeting:
“General Milley and Garland’s reported meeting about targeting President Trump and other American citizens further demonstrates the Biden administration’s disregard for the foundational principles of our constitutional republic,” Fitton said.
Fitton also criticized the Justice Department’s failure to release records related to the meeting. “That the Justice Department would flout FOIA law to hide the details of this conspiracy meeting speaks volumes about its contempt for the rule of law,” he added.
