Dem AG Withdraws Subpoena of Libertarian Nonprofit

The Washington Free Beacon reports on Attorney General Claude Walker's withdrawl of the subpoena of CEI. 

Claude Walker, the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, dropped his request for decades of internal documents from the Competitive Enterprise Institute related to its communications with and financial support from oil giant ExxonMobil.

CEI was the only third-party group to receive a subpoena as part of that campaign. It hailed Walker’s withdrawal as a win for freedom of speech and association in a statement released Thursday.

“The withdrawal of this subpoena is a victory for all Americans who value the right to support causes they believe in,” the group said in its statement.

CEI added that it will continue to seek sanctions against Walker’s office under a DC law that prohibits legal actions designed to censor, intimidate, or harass public critics.

“Walker broke the law when he subpoenaed CEI, and he must be held to account,” the group said. “We continue to pursue sanctions against Walker because of his flagrant violation of the First Amendment.”

Walker’s attorney insisted that the withdrawal of its subpoenas “does not mean that the Virgin Islands has ended its investigation against Exxon,” in a letter to CEI’s attorney sent Thursday.

Read the full article at The Washington Free Beacon.