(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense for records about the use of U.S. Marines for President Joe Biden’s controversial September 1, 2022, campaign speech in Philadelphia (Judicial Watch vs. U.S. Department of Defense (No. 1:23-cv-00213)).
Biden was widely criticized for using the Marines as props during a political speech in which he called “MAGA Republicans” a threat to democracy.
Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the Department of Defense failed to comply with an October 31, 2022, FOIA request for all communications within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Commandant of Marine Corps – and those shared with the White House Military Office and Office of the President – regarding Marines standing behind the President during his September 1, 2022, speech in Philadelphia.
Speaking on September 1 in front of a red backdrop and flanked by two Marines, Biden claimed Trump supporters “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
“Biden’s infamous ‘Red Speech,’ which included the abuse of our Marines in its totalitarian imagery, painted a target on Trump and tens of millions of Americans for political suppression and worse,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And, to make matters worse, the Pentagon is violating federal law by hiding records about Biden’s misuse of our military in his attempt to intimidate Americans.”