In the aftermath of a partisan battle between Texas legislators in May, (see the June 2nd Watcher article) both the Department of Justice and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are examining their possible misuse of resources. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX), unsatisfied with the information he has received from his inquiries, filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on July 8th. The lawsuit seeks to force the Justice Department to release information detailing its role in tracking down Texas Democrats. Gonzalez believes the Department assisted in the manhunt by request of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). Gonzalez reports that he has exhausted all other procedures for getting the information before turning to the courts, but still feels that the Department is not being adequately forthcoming. The Justice Department is conducting an internal investigation to determine if resource misuse did occur. At this point, the Justice Department is not disclosing any information on their involvement in the Texas incident. The Department has 30 days to file a response to Gonzalez’s lawsuit. Another federal agency embroiled in this matter, the FAA, has taken a more proactive approach, recently introducing new rules in order to limit information employees can give out upon request. The new rules address concerns surrounding phone calls DeLay made to FAA, requesting assistance in tracking down one of the missing legislators’ plane. The proposed rules would restrict FAA employees from revealing the location of aircraft unless it was for an official government purpose or safety reason. DeLay stated he had no second thoughts about his decision to call FAA, despite FAA’s inspector general’s position that resources were abused.