On August 23, 2018, the National Archives released the 1999 Special Master’s report on the investigation into leaks by the Office of Independent Counsel Ken Starr.

The report was released following a court order yesterday evening from Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, granting a motion by American Oversight to unseal the long-secret report.

Statement from American Oversight Executive Director Austin Evers:

“That it took litigation by an outside watchdog to bring this report to light speaks volumes about the rush to confirm Judge Kavanaugh without fully vetting his record. This report does not fault or exonerate Judge Kavanaugh because it largely addresses a narrow time period when he was not working for the Starr Commission. The Senate now has an opportunity to ask Judge Kavanaugh to fill in the blanks and clearly explain his contacts with the press during his time in and outside of the OIC.”

Just weeks before Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin, American Oversight sought the unsealing of the 20-year-old report to shed light on Kavanaugh’s record from his time working on the Starr Commission. American Oversight is also representing watchdog group Fix the Court in separate litigation that has led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of Kavanaugh’s records from the Starr Commission and the White House Counsel’s office.

1999 Special Master’s Report on Starr Commission Leaks