Marshals Dispatched to Find Ex-White House Aide for Suit

Federal marshals are searching for former White House personnel security chief D. Craig Livingstone to serve him with a lawsuit alleging that he mishandled the FBI background files of White House employees.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth dispatched the marshals to find Livingstone and his former employee, Anthony Marceca, after lawyers for former White House employees said Wednesday that the men have ducked service of the lawsuit for the last five months.

The suit, filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch, seeks $90 million in damages under the Privacy Act for 700 former White House employees whose FBI background files were reviewed by Livingstone and Marceca.

Other defendants are First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, former White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum, the FBI and the executive office of the president.

Hillary Clinton has moved to dismiss herself from the case. When the suit was filed in December, no evidence had come to light that the first lady was involved in the handling of the files.

Defendants in civil cases must be served formally with papers notifying them to respond to lawsuits.

Larry Klayman, general counsel of Judicial Watch, said in court papers that marshals were needed “as it appears these defendants are attempting to evade service.”

Livingstone’s lawyer, Randall J. Turk, said Klayman did not properly attempt to serve his client.

Turk said he offered to accept service of the lawsuit but Klayman refused an offer to give him two months to respond to the complaint.