Judicial Watch sues for Solyndra records

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, said Thursday it has sued the Obama administration over the $535 million loan guarantee made to Solyndra.

The group said it is seeking documents related to the failed California solar company.

Judicial Watch said it filed separate suits against the U.S. Energy Department and the White House Office of Management and Budget when they did not fully comply with a request for records, The Hill reported.

In September, the group filed Freedom of Information Act requests for records "regarding, concerning or related to" the Solyndra loan guarantee.

The Hill said the Energy Department released digital copies of documents in October, telling Judicial Watch additional "responsive documents exist and are being reviewed in preparation for public release." But Judicial Watch said the department has not provided additional documents.

Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera said in a statement the agency could not comment on pending litigation.

"To date, we have provided more than 180,000 pages of documents to congressional investigators, made the Secretary [Steven Chu] and the head of the loan program available for congressional hearings and made more than half a dozen department officials available over the course of this 10-month long investigation. All together, the record confirms what we have consistently said: That every decision on the Solyndra loan was made here at the Department on the merits based on extensive review by our loan program experts," LaVera said.

The suits come amid a months-long investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee into the loan guarantee. Republicans have alleged the administration missed a series of signals that suggested Solyndra had economic problems before approving the loan guarantee.

Republicans say the administration approved the guarantee in part because an organization run by a major fundraiser for the president was a Solyndra investor. The White House strongly denies the allegations of political favoritism, and the investigation has not uncovered evidence that the loan guarantee was approved to appease Obama's campaign donors, The Hill said.