Trump refuses to release documents to Maine secretary of state despite judges order

[workinclasszero]

Trump refuses to release documents to Maine secretary of state despite judge’s order
Matthew Dunlap accuses the Justice Department of 'contempt for the rule of law' in its response regarding a judge's order on voter fraud commission papers.
BY COLIN WOODARD STAFF WRITER Posted Yesterday at 3:40 PM Updated January 6

President Trump’s decision last week to pull the plug on his troubled voter fraud commission was partly the result of Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s effort to force the body to behave in a transparent and bipartisan manner, a struggle that gained intensity Saturday, when Dunlap learned the administration would not be turning over working documents to him as a federal judge had ordered.

The president’s decision, announced Wednesday, also came less than two weeks after a federal judge ordered the commission to share working documents and scheduling information with Dunlap, who had sued the body in November after he and three other Democrats serving on the 11-member commission had been frozen out of its deliberations.

But in a surprise move revealed Saturday, the Trump administration is resisting turning over the documents.

Dunlap blasted the Justice Department in a written statement released Saturday afternoon, characterizing its response as a “rich blend of arrogance and contempt for the rule of law.” He said it was “unthinkable, unconscionable and un-American that the administration would engage in actions that demonstrate such a flagrant disregard for a court ruling and the rule of law” and said he was “more committed than ever” to securing the documents.

http://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/06/trump-administration-resists-turning-over-documents-to-dunlap/