Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers want testimony from Trump administration officials
WASHINGTON - Attorneys representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a federal judge for permission to get testimony from additional officials from the Trump administration, including representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State Department, and the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a report on FOX News.
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Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen updates on Kilmar Abrego Garcia
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Lawyers seek depositions
What we know:
The request was made to clarify what steps, if any, the administration took regarding Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador.
In a motion filed Wednesday, the legal team petitioned U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland to order the government to designate individuals from the three departments "who can testify about information known or reasonably available to each Department," the report stated.
The filing cited a federal rule that would prevent "bandying" of organizations and argued that this approach would be the "most efficient and least intrusive" way to obtain discovery.
"By allowing the Government to identify its own Rule 30(b)(6) representatives, Plaintiffs hope to avoid imposing the burden on the heads of the Departments to testify, while properly putting the onus on the Government to prepare their chosen representatives with the Departments’ complete knowledge of the narrow issues at stake in this case," the attorneys wrote, according to FOX News.
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White House testimony possible
The court has already approved four depositions, three of which have taken place, but the attorneys maintain they remain unclear on the government’s efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release and return to the United States.
Lawyers also indicated they may request testimony from a White House official.
"In fact, as seems apparent from its public statements, this case also involves decisionmaking at the White House in addition to the three Departments," they wrote, FOX News said. "Accordingly, depending on the testimony obtained in any authorized Department depositions, Plaintiffs may need to seek additional testimony from an appropriately knowledgeable representative of the White House."
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The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX News.