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NYC refusing to release evidence to ATFE

The New York Sun is reporting that NYC is refusing to release its videotapes of dealers supposedly making straw man sales to BATFE unless the agency signs an agreement not to release them without NYC's consent. (I'm a bit rusty on the Freedom of Information Act, but I suspect BATFE can't sign such an agreement).

Wonder what NYC has to hide, here? I thought that program was launched with a lot of publicity, but they want to guarantee no one sees the supposedly incriminating videotapes? This tends to support my theory that this is just a media stunt. Disclosing the tapes can't hurt NYC's lawsuit... as soon as the suits settle down to discovery, the tapes are going to come out. BUT it might hurt plans to milk the cases for publicity and then bail out (which seems to have been happening).

[Kudos to the NY Sun, by the way. They not only carried the story, but called up Steve Halbrook and Saul Cornell for comments].