Press Call to Discuss Justice Department’s Mortgage Settlements

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action (CoA) Institute has led efforts to investigate the settlements between the Justice department and big banks over their allegedly faulty mortgage practices. Last year, CoA Institute issued multiple public records requests aimed at exploring whether DoJ has the legal authority to enter into these settlements in the first place.

Representative Sean Duffy (R-Wis), Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight, recently held a hearing to examine the Department of Justice’s settlements with big banks over these mortgage practices. CoA Institute is also probing whether DoJ has the legal right to encourage banks to steer settlement funds to preferred third-party groups that support various initiatives backed by the Obama administration. To date, the Justice Department has not answered any of these important questions.

Today, CoA Institute President and CEO Alfred J. Lechner, Jr. hosted a press call with Rep. Duffy to discuss the Justice Department’s mortgage settlements with banks. The administration should be held accountable to taxpayers who deserve to know why the money from these settlements is not being returned to the Treasury Department, as the law requires.

The audio file can be found HERE.

Selected FDIC Communications on Operation Choke Point

Below are two selected documents from the most recent OGR report on FDIC’s involvement in Operation Choke Point.

August 2013 email between FDIC officials regarding state regulation of an industry targeted by Operation Choke Point:

ChokePointDoc1

November 2012 email from Thomas Dujenski, (FDIC Regional Director, Atlanta), to Mark Pearce, (Director, FDIC Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection), regarding Dujenski’s viewpoints on the same industry:   

ChokePointDoc2

 

Related Documents: IRS Oversight

Proposed Rulemaking FOIA Request and Lawsuit

First Amended Complaint (February 20, 2014)

IRS Complaint (February 5, 2013) Lawsuit concerning proposed rulemaking

FOIA Request to IRS regarding communications with outside groups regarding the Notice of Proposed Rule Making

IRS FOIA Request (December 24, 2013)

Comment on IRS’s Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations

February 26, 2014 IRS Comment

IQA Petition, Meeting Request, and Request for Extension on Rulemaking all filed February 5, 2014

IRS Information Quality Act Petition – seeking clarification on how the IRS determined the burdens that nonprofits would face under the proposed rule

Request for Meeting with OIRA Administrator

Comment Extension Request – asking the IRS to extend the comment period for the proposed rulemaking until after the IRS produces in full documents in response to CoA’s FOIA request

Related Documents: Operation Choke Point

United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Community Financial Services Association of America v. FDIC

Amicus Brief written for the LIBRE Initiative (September 27, 2014)

Other Resources

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Involvement in “Operation Choke Point” (December 8, 2014)

 The Department of Justice’s “Operation Choke Point”: Illegally Choking Off Legitimate Businesses?  (May 29, 2014)

FBI Arms Export Control Act FOIA Documents

February 27, 2014 Production 

Section 1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part5

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part6

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part7

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part8

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part9

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part10

Section 2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 1 Serial 1_Part5

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part6

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part7

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part8

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part9

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part10

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part11

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 2 Serial 1_Part12

Section 3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 3 Serial 1_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 3 Serial 1_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 3 Serial 1_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 3 Serial 1_Part4

Section 4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 4 Serial 1_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 4 Serial 1_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 4 Serial 1_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 4 Serial 1_Part4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 1 – Section 4 Serial 1_Part5

March 14, 2014 Production

Box 3 Section 1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 3 – Section 1

Box 4 Section 1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part5

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part6

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part7

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part8

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 1_Part9

April 28, 2014 Production

Section 4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part4

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part5

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part6

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part7

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part8

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 4_Part9

Section 5

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 5

Section 6

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 6_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 6_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 6_Part3

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 6_Part4

Section 7

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 7_Part1

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 7_Part2

1181969-0 – FBI’s Arms Export Control Act Box 4 – Section 7_Part3

IRS Complaint Against AARP for Excessive Lobbying

Letter to the IRS 

2012 11 29 Letter to IRS re AARP, Inc.

IRS Responses

2013 1 10 IRS Response AARP, Inc

2013-1-16 IRS Response, AARP, Inc.

FOIA Request and Documents on “Operation in our Sites”

2011-9-2 ICE FOIA Request-Website Seizures

Document Productions

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part1

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part2

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part3

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part4

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part5

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part6

r_11-14418 Item 1 REDACTED_Part7

2011-11-17 ICE – Seized websites list

DoJ-Response-to-Wyden-OIOS-1[1]

11-14418 Item 11 REDACTED