Office of Inspector General Update

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Many of you have been asking about the status of the OIG investigation.  We have been too.  Please see our latest letter to Mr. Geisel attached (oig june 30). It is abundantly clear that OIG has no interest in or desire to finish its investigation by July 15. Given the importance of this issue, I would ask that you disseminate this letter in the media of your home countries.  Please feel free to have reporters contact me to discuss. Thank you.  

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Press release: Filing of requests for preliminary injunction and class certification

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Please see the attached press release Thank you again for all of your support!

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Preliminary Injunction/Class Certification

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We have applied to the Court for a preliminary injunction and moved for certification of the class.  We will be posting a press release very soon providing more details.

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Litigation Update

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We will have some litigation news for you later this week. Please watch this space…

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Wall Street Journal

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Over the weekend there was a fantastic profile in the Wall Street Journal on Anna D., Stuart, Dieudonne, Alejandro, and Ugoo.  Please read it when you have an opportunity: http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-lifestyle-arts-entertainment.html?mod=WSJ_topnav_lifeculture_main

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Resources

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As I understand an additional Facebook resource has opened in support of our cause: http://www.facebook.com/dvlottery?sk=wall This is in addition to http://www.facebook.com/dv2012 I am so grateful that we have such dedicated individuals applying their talents and energies to this enormous challenge we are facing.  Just the other day, a correspondent asked me – “How is it that you managed to find plaintiffs from more than 20 countries in only a couple of weeks?  That’s incredible.” I said: “It’s not difficult when you have the support of 22,000 people. Anything is possible.” And that is the truth.  Anything is possible. Thanks again for all of your help.  

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Press Release on Filing of Lawsuit

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Please see the attached press release on the filing of the lawsuit in Washington, D.C. Please forward this to media outlets in your home countries.  Thank you.

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Lawsuit Filed

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We have filed our lawsuit with the US District Court for the District of Columbia.  The case is Ilya Smirnov et al. v. Hillary Rodham Clinton et al.  There are 36 named plaintiffs from more than 20 countries. Government defendants include the Department of State, USCIS and senior government officials, including Mr. Donahue. The lawsuit is styled as a class action, meaning, if the court approves the request to certify, it will go forward as a class action, with the 22,000 victims making up the class. We will be posting more details in the next day or two. Thank you all once again for your encouragement and support!

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Lawsuit Update – June 17

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Please look for an announcement in this space on Sunday night (Pacific Time).  Thank you for your patience.

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Lawsuit Update

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Thank you all for your patience. The lawsuit will be submitted to the court this week.  I will inform you once it has been filed and registered.

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Lawsuit FAQs

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In response to many of your questions, please see the attached faq Thank you.

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OIG to Launch Investigation of DV-2012; Wall Street Journal Article

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You may recall that on May 25, 2011, we requested that the Office of Inspector General at the Department of State launch an investigation into the invalidation of the DV-2012 results.  We have now received a reply from the General Counsel within the Office of Inspector General at the Department of State: Mr. White: Deputy Inspector General Geisel asked me to reply to your letter to him, dated May 25, 2011.  Thank you for your letter and your interest in this matter.  The Department has asked the Office of Inspector General to review the Diversity Visa Lottery matter and we have agreed to do so. Sincerely, Erich O. Hart Erich O. Hart General Counsel Office of Inspector General Department of State While no additional details were provided, one can surmise that this is an encouraging sign. Nevertheless,  this should in no way detract from our resolve to proceed with our lawsuit;…

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Next Phase

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It is readily apparent that the Department of State does not wish to engage in a constructive dialog on this problem. Therefore, we must prepare for the next step. I will be contacting individuals who filled out our questionnaires.  I will continue to periodically update this blog and send out e-mails to those who have written to me.  If you have not contacted me yet and wish to receive e-mails, please send me a note at white@bridgewest.com In the meanwhile I would encourage you and your relatives/friends to continue to contact congressional offices and tell your stories.  It is so very important. The Department of State is counting on you going away, to forget about this, to go back to your normal lives.  Don’t let it happen… Thank you.    

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