WWW.USDOJ.GOV

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STATEMENT REGARDING DISTRICT COURT

WASHINGTON D.C. Today, Department of Justice spokeswoman Mindy Tucker issued the following statement regarding Judge Lifland's opinion:

• In a decision dated June 5, 2001 and unsealed on June 15, 2001, the United States District Court in New Jersey found that Senator Torricelli has not established that law enforcement personnel were the source of any grand jury information reported in the press, with a possible exception of a comment made by a Department of Justice official, at the request of Senator Torricelli's attorney in March 2000, that the Senator was not at that time the target of the grand jury's investigation.

• Even in that instance, the court found that the evidence suggesting that the Department official disclosed grand jury information was rebutted by evidence submitted by the government. After reviewing all of the approximately 20 articles published between October 22, 1999 and April 18, 2001 cited by Senator Torricelli, the court found with respect to all but one of the articles that Senator Torricelli had failed to establish a prima facie case that there had been any disclosures of grand jury material by law enforcement personnel.

• With respect to the one article, dated March 6, 2000, the court concluded that the government had rebutted Torricelli's claim by demonstrating that the Justice Department official who spoke to a reporter did so at the request of an attorney for Torricelli, and with approval of his Department superior, and that the official did not disclose grand jury material. The court gave Torricelli 15 days in which to reply to the government's rebuttal with respect this one article. To date, he has not done so.

• In all other respects, the court denied Torricelli's motion and found no basis to conclude that there had been improper disclosures by law enforcement personnel of grand jury materials.

###

01-265