Above the Law, But Not Above Subverting It

A new wrinkle in an already bizarre lawsuit is shaping up to potentially embarrass the Obama administration.

  The Nation

I haven’t noticed that they CAN be embarrassed.

If allegations made in a recent court filing are true, then the Justice Department, with an unprecedented assertion of the state secrets privilege, might be shielding from any accountability a group actively engaged in spreading false information.

No, really. That’s being done regularly by the entire Washington machine. Every department. Including the Justice Department itself. But, go on.

The lawsuit revolves around an anti-Iran group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a pro-sanctions outfit that takes a hard line against Iran and lodges name-and-shame campaigns against companies it says are doing business with Iran. The group is made up of former officials from the Bush and Obama administrations, as well as a host of academics, former diplomats and former intelligence officials from foreign countries, including Israel.

In this case, UANI has publicly accused a company of illegally trading with Iran, and the company has countersued for defamation. Then the US DOJ stepped in.

Justice officials asserted the so-called state secrets privilege, claiming that national security secrets would be at risk of exposure if [...] disclosures proceeded. The government also suggested the court dismiss the suit. The Justice Department’s reasons for intervening remain a mystery and, unlike any case in the past where the government has intervened in a private suit to which it is not party, refused to even explain privately to the court its reasoning for asserting the privilege

Meh. We don’t have to tell you  nuh.THING!