May 25-27, 2007 -- The Justice Department filed a motion before US District Judge Gladys Kessler on May 23 to maintain the gag order against Washington Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey and her attorneys from releasing the names of any additional customers of Pamela Martin & Associates.

However, the motion by Assistant US Attorney William Cowden to keep the gag order in place was not filed until 11:54 PM Wednesday night, just six minutes before its expiration. In addition, the government's filing contained no affidavits supporting a continued gag order. The failure to provide affidavits weakened the government's case, according to court sources.

There is speculation that not having had access to the Pamela Martin phone records before the government received copies, perhaps from a major news media organization in a quid pro quo arrangement, the Justice Department was able to determine the importance of some of the names on the phone records. The records obtained would have been from 2002 to 2006. The government, therefore, rushed a midnight gag order extension request to the US Court for the District of Columbia.

It remains a mystery why the corporate media failed to file an amicus curiae brief before Judge Kessler in support of informing the public about an important news story. The corporate media was quick to file an amicus brief in support of the former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) employees' espionage case in support of the release of classified information withheld by the government.

There is also a significant public health concern in refusing to release the escort client phone records. If 10,000 men in Washington, Baltimore, Northern Virginia, and New York were engaging in sex with escorts -- and it must be stated that this would have been in violation of the escort's employment agreement with Pamela Martin -- then a significant public health concern may exist. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Public Health Service should have as much weight in determining the disposition of the phone records as the Department of Justice. The public health aspect is especially important considering that William Cowden, the Assistant US Attorney arguing for the gag order, specializes in health care and health care law.

There is also a major national security concern. We have learned that one of the escort clients was likely a top White House national security official in the George W. Bush administration. The blackmail potential for someone with multi-compartmental access is significant. The individual in question no longer works in the White House.