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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
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SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 30 – A week before the trial of accused CIA leaker Joshua Schulte, set to begin February 3, a public hearing was held on January 27 about the US Attorney's requests to seal the courtroom for some witness and limited media attendance to a single pool reporter banned from reporting any physical characteristics of the CIA witnesses.

   On this issue, Inner City Press before the public hearing filed three one-page letters in opposition. Third letter here on Big Cases Bot.

  Now three days later, with still no ruling by Judge Crotty on the sealing Inner City Press thrice opposed, this rulign from Judge Crotty: "On November 25, 2019, the Government filed a motion in limine seeking to introduce, interalia, evidence from Schulte's MCC notebooks. (Gov. Mot. in limine, at 27, Dkt 195.) The Court directed the Government to identify the specific documents and statements it intends to introduce from the MCC notebooks. (Dkt. 252.) Having considered the parties' positions on the admissibility of various documents relevant to Counts 4 and 11 of the Second Superseding Indictment (the "MCC Counts") as set forth in the letters dated January 21 (Dkt. 257), January 27 (Dkt. 281), and January 28, 2020 (Dkt. 285), the Court determines that the selections from the MCC Notebooks are admissible, as limited by the Government's letter of January 28, 2020. (See Dkt. 285, Classified Exhibit.)" How much is classified? The Press wants to know.

   At the end U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Paul A. Crotty asked Assistant US Attorney Matthew Laroche if his Office objects to live video feed to the SDNY Press Room, not showing the witnesses' faces. AUSA Laroche said no objection - which should mean feeds for this all other proceedings, when requested.

  On the issue of the trial exhibits, on which Inner City Press noted in writing and orally that the US Attorney's Office has of late denied requests for exhibits, ignoring for example Inner City Press' FOIA request for its OneCoin / US v. Mark Scott exhibits, AUSA Laroche said exhibits will be made available the next day. There seems to be no reason this should not and will not apply to other criminal proceedings in the SDNY. More on Patreon here.

 On transcripts, Inner City Press raised the issue of the high cost, for less corporate media. AUSA Laroche, seemingly contrary to his letter, said that transcript will be made available on some undefined delay, for redaction. But what about the costs? The Daily News noted no closures for El Chapo in the EDNY; the New York Post noted that a written description like blond or bald could hardly identify a witness and the AP correctly noted that in-house journalists in the SDNY do not seek to put anyone in danger.

  Judge Crotty said he will issue an order soon; the request for US v. Schulte feeds has already been made. Watch this site.

   Back on January 24, for which a feed was denied, an issue that arose was Schulte's letters complaining that his assigned counsel James M. Branden is not providing assistance of counsel. Now in the docket is a letter from Branden, dated January 24, stating that because of a hearing in White Plains he could not attend the final pre-trial conference for Schulte. Something is very wrong with this. And this:

  A basic PACER search by Inner City Press finds that Schulte in April 2019 filed a civil lawsuit against the US Attorney General. There is a docket number: 19-cv-3346. Photo here.

  But even on the SDNY Press Room PACER terminal when Inner City Press clicked on the Complaint, it replied, "You do not have permission to view this document." So who does? And is this a public court system? We will have more on this.

See Inner City Press filing into the docket on Big Cases Bot, here. Watch this site. The case is US v. Schulte, 17-cr-548 (Crotty).

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