04/18/2017
CoA Institute Sues for Records on Potential FBI Payment to Democratic Opposition Researcher Who Compiled Infamous Trump Dossier
Washington D.C. – Cause of Action Institute (“CoA Institute”) has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking records relating to the relationship between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and Christopher Steele, a former British spy who made headlines after he was identified as the lead author of the largely-discredited Trump dossier.
According to a news report, Mr. Steele entered an agreement with the FBI a few weeks before the November 2016 election to investigate then-candidate Donald Trump while, at the same time, he was employed by an opposition research firm to collect information for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
CoA Institute President and CEO John Vecchione: “If a former spy who was being paid to do opposition research on a U.S. presidential nominee was also on the FBI’s payroll, there are serious concerns about the agency’s independence. We need to better understand this financial relationship to ensure the FBI was not misusing taxpayer money to interfere in a presidential election on behalf of one of the candidates.”
On March 7, 2017, CoA Institute sent a FOIA request to the FBI seeking access to records into whether the FBI paid money, or had plans to pay, Mr. Steele for any purpose. To date, the FBI has failed to produce any responsive records within the applicable FOIA timeframe.
The full Complaint can be found here.
For information regarding this press release, please contact Zachary Kurz, Director of Communications at CoA Institute: zachary.kurz@causeofaction.org
03/6/2017
John Vecchione Named President and CEO of Cause of Action Institute
Washington D.C. – John Vecchione has been tapped as the new President and CEO of Cause of Action Institute (“CoA Institute”), a non-profit government watchdog group and public interest law firm based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Vecchione first joined CoA Institute as Vice President in March, 2016, bringing more than two decades of extensive litigation experience as both a trial lawyer and appellate advocate.
“As President of Cause of Action Institute, I will continue to advocate for a more transparent and accountable government free from waste, fraud, abuse, and cronyism,” Vecchione said. “It is an honor to lead a dedicated, talented team of attorneys here at CoA Institute who are committed to advancing the ideals of a free and open society. In our organization’s short five-year history, we have represented numerous individuals whose livelihoods have been threatened by federal government overreach, and pressed to know how the Government is making decisions. CoA Institute was founded to promote individual and economic liberty by limiting the power of the administrative state to make decisions that are contrary to freedom and prosperity. These goals have never been more important.”
Mr. Vecchione earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and his Bachelor’s Degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He has tried cases and argued appeals across the country in private practice and is a member of the bars of the State of New York, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States and many federal courts. Mr. Vecchione’s cases have been reported in scores of published opinions. He has published numerous op-eds advancing the freedom agenda and constitutional order in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times and many other forums.
John Vecchione’s full biography is available here