Judicial Watch Will Sue for Osama Pics

The Hill reports:

A watchdog group says it is prepared to file a lawsuit to obtain photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse.

Judicial Watch, which has sued the government multiple times for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), has already filed requests under that law to obtain photos of the al Qaeda leader’s dead body.

Tom Fitton, the group’s president, said he doesn’t believe President Obama’s objections to releasing the photos outweigh the public’s right to know.

“We are prepared to sue if they don’t respond as they are supposed to under the law,” Fitton told The Hill. “I have not heard anything from the president that would provide a lawful basis for not providing the photos. Not wanting to be seen as ‘spiking the football’ is not a lawful reason to withhold documents under FOIA.”

On Tuesday, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA request with the Defense Department for photos and videos of bin Laden on the day of the U.S. military raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The group also filed a request for the bin Laden photos Wednesday with the CIA.

Under the law, the Obama administration has 20 days to respond to those requests. If those requests are denied, the watchdog group can file an appeal and eventually a lawsuit to secure the release of the photos.

“This is arguably the most important military operation in our lifetimes. This is basic information,” Fitton said.