Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) (Screenshot: Bloomberg TV)

(CNSNews.com) -- Because the State Department failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for files about alleged Russian tampering in the 2016 election that were sent to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) prior to Donald Trump's inauguration, Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit in federal court to obtain the documents.

In the final days of the Obama administration, "the State Department sent a cache of documents marked 'secret' to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland days before the January inauguration," reported the New York Times on March 1, as noted by Judicial Watch in a statement released today.

"The documents, detailing Russian efforts to intervene in elections worldwide, were sent in response to a request from Mr. Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee," reported The Times, and apparently "were shared with Republicans on the panel."

President Donald Trump. (Screenshot.)

Commenting on the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for D.C., Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, "Did the Obama State Department improperly share classified information with a Democrat Senator as part of an anti-Trump scheme?"

"Needless to say, the Senate won't be investigating Senator Cardin's role in any potential violations of law, but Judicial Watch is going to federal court to do just that," said Fitton.

A standard FOIA request was made to the State Department on March 2. It asked for the following: "All records provided by any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State to Senator Ben Cardin, any member of his staff, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and/or any Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff member regarding, concerning, or related to efforts by the Russian Government to affect, manipulate, or influence any election in the United States or any foreign country from November 8, 2016 to present."

The State Department failed to comply with that request, thus the lawsuit was filed in court today, May 10, 2017.