Judicial Watch announced on Thursday that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for all internal Secret Service (USSS) communications regarding the provision or potential provision of Secret Service protection for Navy Joan Roberts, the 4-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden and grandchild of President Joe Biden (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:23-cv-02028)).
On its website, the Secret Service states that, under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 3056, the agency’s authority as provided by law guarantees protection for the president and vice president and their immediate families.
On June 6, 2022, the Daily Mail reported that President Biden refused to provide security for Navy Joan after her mother, Lunden Roberts, reported to police that she had been threatened by her ex-fiancé, cage fighter Princeton Foster.
Judicial Watch filed a FOIA request on May 2, 2023. On June 12, 2023, the Secret Service issued a final response stating that no responsive records had been located. Judicial Watch appealed the Secret Service’s determination, challenging the thoroughness of the search for records. Judicial Watch filed the FOIA lawsuit after the Secret Service failed to respond to the appeal for:
All reports, memoranda, and internal USSS electronic communications, including emails and text messages, regarding the provision or potential provision of USSS protection to Navy Joan Roberts, the daughter of Hunter Biden and granddaughter of President Joe Biden.
Hunter Biden had denied paternity, but a DNA test in 2019 proved he is in fact the father of Navy Joan Roberts and he has been provided significant court-ordered child support
President Biden has never publicly acknowledged that Navy Joan Roberts is his grandchild. The New York Times reported earlier this month: “In strategy meetings in recent years, aides have been told that the Bidens have six, not seven, grandchildren, according to two people familiar with the discussions…the president has not yet met or publicly mentioned his other grandchild. His White House has not answered questions about whether he will publicly acknowledge her now that the child support case is settled.”
“All of Joe Biden’s grandchildren can receive Secret Service protection while he’s in office. We frankly can’t imagine any good reason to deny security to this child,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Author: Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch, Inc., a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. Through its educational endeavors, Judicial Watch advocates high standards of ethics and morality in our nation’s public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. Judicial Watch fulfills its educational mission through litigation, investigations, and public outreach. Visit Judicial Watch at https://www.judicialwatch.org/
