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November 26, 2024

Gov Quinn refuses Legislative Audit Commission request for E-mails –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On September 5, 2014

SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) –

Legislative Audit Commission Representative David Reis and
 
Computer Forensic Expert Andrew Garrett
 
were  refused access to CMS and Emails by direction of Governor Quinn
 
Transparency?
 
The Audit Commission was formed by elected officials to investigate the failed Governor’s Anti-Violence program.  The Anti-Violence program allegedly was used to boost votes for the Governor in the south side of Chicago during election time by bribing leaders with grant money. The same scheme was played out with College of Dupage President Brueder just a few months ago (here).   David Reis wants access to view the documents and emails held by the Quinn Administration.  So far to date, the Governor’s office has done nothing but stifle the investigations of the Audit Commission.
 
You can see from the attached letters the deponents are not willing to testify and based on Wednesday’s actions, the Governor is not willing to allow the Commission to view the records claiming that over 97% of all the emails sent by the employees of the IVPA are privileged based on attorney client protection.   This is ridiculous!
 
The attached letter from Dr. Irving’s counsel, one can see that there are 100k plus emails and that 7k were produced, but in comparison , the Governor’s office only gave the Audit Commission a few thousand from ALL of the former employees and claimed attorney client privilege on the rest.  It is very obvious from the letter written that the Governor’s General Counsel John Schomberg is instructing the former employee’s counsel to withhold documents from the Commission.  
 
The state lost any ability to claim attorney-client protection based on the fact that the Governor released all of the documents to a non-employee (Irving) and has failed to ask for the documents to be returned or destroyed as one would claim inadvertent release.   The tactic of stonewalling has even gone as far as forcing legislators to file FOIA requests in order to receive any information from government.  This really causes problems as we the tax payer elected an official, whom cannot do their job because they cannot get information because the Governor stifles them.
 
Call anytime to speak with David Reis or Dwight Kay regarding the withholding of documents from the public and Commission.
 
 
E-mail sent to Simone McNeil – (Click Here)
Director of the State of Illinois Central Management Services
 
[gview file=”https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ReisEmails.pdf” save=”1″]
 
Quote from Andrew Garrett  – eDiscovery expert with Garrett Discovery Inc.:  
 
“The protocol established by Mr. Reis is one that has been used by almost every Federal court as a means to get to the ‘truth’ when there are conflicting reports from either party regarding what is available and what has been destroyed.   Case in point is the Carlock v. Williamson case that just settled in Sangamon county where a Federal Judge ordered myself on behalf of the plaintiff’s to enter the facility of the Sheriff’s office and copy the entire email server including attorney client protected materials.  Once keyword searches were conducted the results were submitted to the defendants so they could claim privilege and the resulting set sent to the plaintiff’s.   This is normal course of business when there are claims that evidence has been withheld and this is why there is an entire industry of eDiscovery / Forensic experts to aid the parties in situations just like the one the commission is facing”.
 
Letters (click to read):

 Rep. Reis to Gov Quinn

Malcolm Weems

Barbara Shaw

Simone McNeil

Other news reports on this subject:

Chicago Sun-Times

WICS News Channel 20

 

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