Update: Also at OneNewsNow, where Judicial Watch claims Michael Weinstein has had an “adverse affect on religious freedom in the military,” and LifeSiteNews.

Judicial Watch announced it has filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Defense seeking information about its relationship with Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, following his now-infamous meeting with Pentagon officials in April:

Judicial Watch…filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit…against the Department of Defense seeking “all records and communications” between the Pentagon and Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) founder Mikey Weinstein, a controversial activist who has compared evangelicals with the Taliban and al-Qaeda and has called for the court martial of Christian chaplains (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Defense (No. 1:13-cv-01372 )).

Judicial Watch said they filed their FOIA in May, and their lawsuit indicates the DoD has not been responsive, as required by law.  For those unfamiliar, the lawsuit simply demands records; it makes no claim regarding the actual relationship Weinstein has with the US military.

Interestingly, the Pentagon reportedly downplayed Weinstein’s role, and even the MRFF’s Chris Rodda claims reports of Weinstein’s influence over the military have been fabricated by “right-wing [sic] Christian[s].”  But Judicial Watch cites none other than Chris Rodda to support their claim:

In a Huffington Post article entitled “The Pentagon Most Certainly is Listening to Mikey Weinstein,” Chris Rodda, the senior research director at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, reinforced Weinstein’s relationship with the Pentagon, boasting that he forced Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base to remove an inspirational piece of artwork from its dining facility with a single phone call…

It seems Chris Rodda put her foot in the MRFF’s mouth, which isn’t unusual at the “charity”.  [The artwork incident was discussed here.]

Judicial Watch joins the ADF in its efforts to publicize Weinstein’s behind-the-scenes “influence” of the US Air Force.  The ADF previously filed a FOIA over Chaplain (LtCol) Kenneth Reyes’ “banned” article.  As more groups obtain information about Weinstein — and publish it — Weinstein’s influence will likely wane if his relationship with the military becomes so stigmatized he becomes toxic to the “senior military leaders” he calls by first name.

For his part, Weinstein has little ability to criticize Judicial Watch’s action, as he frequently uses FOIA as a club against the military — and a convenient way to learn non-public information about those with whom he disagrees.

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