News Roundup: Congressional Hearing Shows and No-Shows

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

HUD Secretary Ben Carson appeared before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, and some have concluded that it didn’t go very well.

He confused the term “REO” (real-estate owned) with Oreo cookies; was stumped by a question about OMWI (the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion); attempted to “reclaim his time” (he couldn’t); and defended the administration’s proposal to deny federally subsidized housing to undocumented immigrants. After Buzzfeed reported that HUD had a policy of denying FHA-backed loans to DACA recipients, we requested HUD communications about the policy, including communications with banks.

As one of the longest-serving officials in Trump’s ever-shifting cabinet, Carson’s lack of experience in housing — and ignorance of important aspects of his powerful position — can often slide beneath flashier stories of corruption and misconduct. But our investigation of his tenure at the Department of Housing and Urban Development continues, from questions about his family’s involvement at the agency to the sale of a federally subsidized housing complex tied to President Donald Trump to his lapsed “EnVision Center” initiative.

Also appearing before lawmakers this week was the Department of Education’s principal deputy undersecretary, Diane Auer Jones, who was questioned by House Oversight Committee members about oversight of for-profit colleges and student loans. We filed a lawsuit against the department this week on behalf of the Student Legal Defense Network for records related to the Dream Center, a religious nonprofit that owned financially troubled schools that in 2018 continued accepting tuition payments without telling students that their accreditation status had changed. Prior to joining the administration, Jones was a lobbyist and consultant to for-profit colleges, and her current position gives her the authority to oversee the accreditors of organizations she previously worked for.

Another hearing scheduled for this week in the House Judiciary Committee featured an empty chair — one reserved for former White House Counsel Don McGahn, who was instructed by the White House to defy a congressional subpoena to appear before the committee on Tuesday. McGahn’s refusal to appear is the latest example of the Trump administration’s lack of respect for constitutional checks and balances.

We’ve also been investigating:

Russian Election Hacking: From the 2016 election and through the 2018 midterms, concerns about Russian interference in U.S. elections — especially the 2020 presidential race — have grown. The Mueller report confirmed that Russia was able to “gain access to the network of at least one Florida county government,” though it did not specify which county. American Oversight filed records requests with the FBI, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as with Taylor County in Florida, with the goal of learning more about the effects of Russia’s efforts — and about the safety of future elections.

Transgender Rights: The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a new rule that could be used to deny health care to transgender patients. The director of the Office for Civil Rights, Roger Severino, said that “discrimination on the basis of sex does not include gender identity of termination of pregnancy.” We filed a lawsuit earlier this year for Severino’s calendars and for his communications with conservative and anti-abortion groups.

Trump’s New ICE Director: Mark Morgan, who was previously the head of U.S. Border Patrol, was nominated earlier this month by the president to be the new director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Earlier this year, Morgan had said during an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show that he could tell whether a child migrant was a gang member by looking “at their eyes.” To learn more about his influences and priorities during his time at Border Patrol, we’ve filed FOIA requests with Customs and Border Protection for his calendars, emails, and communications about family separation and Trump’s border wall.

Frank Luntz’s Influence: Documents obtained by American Oversight show that Republican pollster and political strategist Luntz has met with multiple cabinet members, and according to the New York Times donated a two-day media training to OMB Director and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Luntz’s friendship with Mulvaney has reportedly helped transform him from an early critic of Trump to a White House insider. We’re asking for records that could shed light on what sort of advice Luntz is giving to agencies, and whether taxpayer money has been spent on his services.

Rudy Giuliani’s Canceled Ukraine Trip: On May 9, Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani announced that he would travel to Ukraine to urge the government to investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential 2020 political opponent. Giuliani’s defense? “We’re not meddling in an election, we’re meddling in an investigation.” Before his announcement of his trip, which was canceled after widespread criticism, the State Department recalled the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who had been under attack in conservative media for purportedly criticizing Trump in private conversations. We filed FOIA requests to uncover how much Trump’s political interests are influencing U.S. policy in Ukraine.

What Is Trump Talking About? When the president tweeted that “the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168,” and that “[t]here are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens … in our Country,” where did he get those numbers? And when he said that migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border leave behind “prayer rugs,” or that Border Patrol officers frequently find women, bound and with tape over their mouths, being smuggled, what was he basing those claims on? We’ve asked DHS for any records related to those claims.

Domestic Terrorism: A senior FBI counterterrorism official said on Thursday that the agency has seen a significant rise in the number of white supremacist domestic terrorism cases in recent months. We have a number of active FOIA requests on the issue, and just this week filed another request with DHS about the creation of a new Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention. Not much has been made public about this new office — we want to find out more.

Influence at FDA: We’re asking the Food and Drug Administration for the communications of Senior Adviser Paul Howard, who joined the administration in 2017. Howard has advocated for deregulation in health care, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and more, and has oversight responsibilities for those very industries.

Consent Decrees: A number of cities with police departments accused of civil rights abuses have made agreements with the Justice Department, called consent decrees, allowing the federal government to oversee reform. But on November 8, 2018 — his last day as attorney general — Jeff Sessions limited the use of consent decrees with state and local governments. We’re asking for Justice Department communications with police organizations that have been publicly resistant to reforms.

Don’t Worry, It Was “Limited”: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sometimes used personal email accounts for government business without saving the messages properly, reported the Education Department’s inspector general on Monday. The internal watchdog said such instances were “limited,” and at this point — despite Hillary Clinton’s email use being a major theme of Trump’s 2016 campaign — we really shouldn’t be surprised by Trump administration appointees forgetting to be concerned about such lax practices.

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May 1, 2020

News Roundup: Protecting the Right to Vote During a Pandemic

Arizona - Yuma County, Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Arizona Department of Homeland Security, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, DHS - Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, DOJ - Federal Bureau of Investigation, DOJ - Office of Information Policy, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Florida Department of State, Florida Office of the Governor, Georgia - Cobb County, Georgia - DeKalb County, Georgia - Fulton County, Georgia - Gwinnett County, Georgia - Richmond County, Georgia Secretary of State, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, Indiana Secretary of State, Iowa Secretary of State, Kentucky Secretary of State, Kentucky State Board of Elections, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, New Jersey - Essex County, New Orleans, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Texas Attorney General, Texas Secretary of State, Wisconsin Elections Commission
April 24, 2020

News Roundup: Miracle Drugs and Trump’s Alternate Reality

Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, DHS - Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DOJ - Federal Bureau of Prisons, Florida Department of Corrections, General Services Administration, Georgia - Albany-Dougherty County, Georgia - Chatham County, Georgia - Cobb County, Georgia - DeKalb County, Georgia - Fulton County, Georgia - Gwinnett County, Georgia - Macon-Bibb County, Georgia - Muscogee County, Georgia - Richmond County, Georgia Department of Community Health, HHS - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, HHS - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, HHS - National Institutes of Health, Illinois - Cook County, Texas Health and Human Services, USDA - Food Safety and Inspection Service, VA - Veterans Health Administration, Washington - King County, White House - Office of Management and Budget, White House - Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
April 17, 2020

News Roundup: Who Stands to Gain?

Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Reserve, Florida, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Department of Health, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Office of the Governor, Georgia - Tybee Island City, Georgia Department of Administrative Services, Georgia Department of Public Health, Georgia Office of the Governor, Georgia Secretary of State, Small Business Administration, Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Wisconsin Senate, Wisconsin State Assembly
April 10, 2020

News Roundup: Corruption and Coronavirus

Commerce - Census Bureau, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of the Treasury, DHS - Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS - United States Secret Service, DOD - U.S. Department of the Navy, DOJ - Executive Office for Immigration Review, DOJ - Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, DOJ - Justice Management Division, DOJ - Office of Information Policy, DOJ - Office of Legal Counsel, HHS - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, HHS - Indian Health Service, Nevada Department of Administration, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development
April 3, 2020

News Roundup: Whose Stockpile, and Which States?

California Office of the Governor, Central Intelligence Agency, Commerce - Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, DHS - Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida - Broward County, Florida - Duval County, Florida - Gadsden County, Florida - Hendry County, Florida - Jackson County, Florida - Leon County, Florida - Miami-Dade County, Florida - Osceola County, Florida Office of the Governor, HHS - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, HHS - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, New York Office of the Governor, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Ohio Office of the Governor, Oklahoma Department of Health, Oklahoma Office of the Governor, Texas Attorney General, Texas Office of the Governor, Washington - King County, Washington Office of the Governor, White House - Office of Management and Budget
March 27, 2020

News Roundup: Transparency and Oversight Are More Important Than Ever

Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DOJ - Executive Office for Immigration Review, DOJ - Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, DOJ - National Security Division, DOJ - U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Election Commission, Florida Attorney General, Florida Department of State, Florida Office of the Governor, General Services Administration, Georgia - Bartow County, Georgia - Cobb County, Georgia - DeKalb County, Georgia - Fulton County, Georgia - Gwinnett County, Georgia Office of the Governor, Georgia Secretary of State, HHS - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Tennessee Valley Authority, Texas Attorney General, Texas Office of the Governor, Texas Secretary of State, White House - Office of Management and Budget, White House - Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
March 20, 2020

News Roundup: Testing, Messaging and Missed Chances

Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, DOJ - Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Federal Communications Commission, Florida Attorney General, Georgia Attorney General, Nevada Department of Administration, Texas - Harris County, Texas Attorney General, White House - Office of Management and Budget, White House - Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
February 28, 2020

News Roundup: Launching Our Investigation of Trump’s Authoritarian Purges

Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, DOD - National Security Agency, DOI - Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, DOJ - Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida - Hillsborough County, Florida - Leon County, Florida Department of State, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
February 26, 2020

New Lawsuit Seeks Information on Stephen Miller’s Involvement in Public Charge Rule

Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services
February 21, 2020

News Roundup: The Post-Impeachment Purge and the Knock of Authoritarianism

Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of the Treasury, DHS - United States Secret Service, DOI - Fish and Wildlife Service, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, White House - Office of Management and Budget
February 7, 2020

News Roundup: Acquittal Isn’t the End

Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of State, Florida Department of State, Georgia - Cobb County, Georgia - DeKalb County, Georgia - Fulton County, Georgia - Gwinnett County, Georgia Secretary of State, White House - Office of Management and Budget
January 31, 2020

News Roundup: Hear No Evil, See No Evil

Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, DOJ - Executive Office for Immigration Review, DOJ - Federal Bureau of Prisons, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas - Harris County, Texas Office of the Governor
January 6, 2020

In the Documents: Stephen Miller’s Emails with Top ICE Official

DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement
December 27, 2019

American Oversight’s 2019 in Review: Nine Important Stories We Uncovered

December 20, 2019

News Roundup: Beyond Impeachment — The Investigations Continue

Congress, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DOL - Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Government Accountability Office, HHS - Administration for Children and Families, HHS - Food and Drug Administration, White House - Office of Management and Budget
December 13, 2019

News Roundup: Stephen Miller’s Extremist Network

Congress, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of the Treasury, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DOI - Bureau of Land Management, DOI - Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia - Carroll County, Texas Attorney General, Treasury - Office of Foreign Assets Control, White House - Office of Management and Budget
December 6, 2019

News Roundup: Impeachment Report, Border Wall Contracts, and Pompeo’s Meeting with GOP Donors

Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State
November 15, 2019

News Roundup: Impeachment Inquiry Goes Public

Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of Veterans Affairs, Florida House of Representatives, Georgia - Bartow County, Georgia - Carroll County, Georgia - Decatur County, Georgia - Lowndes County, Georgia - Paulding County, Georgia Secretary of State, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas - Dallas County, Texas - Harris County, Texas - Travis County, White House - Council on Environmental Quality
November 13, 2019

American Oversight Sues DHS for Cuccinelli Records

Department of Homeland Security, DHS - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
November 8, 2019

News Roundup: Ukraine-Related Documents, Hurdles for Asylum-Seekers, and Chad Wolf’s Involvement in Family Separation

Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Interior, DOJ - Office of Information Policy, DOJ - Office of Legal Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Office of the Governor, White House - Office of Management and Budget
October 11, 2019

News Roundup: Impeachment, Obstruction, and More Questions about Rick Perry

Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HHS - Administration for Children and Families, HHS - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
October 9, 2019

Early Trump Administration — and McAleenan — Communications About Immigration Policy

Department of Homeland Security, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
October 4, 2019

News Roundup: The Public Needs Answers

Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State
September 13, 2019

News Roundup: Photos of Detention Centers for Migrant Children; Stephen Miller’s Hand in Immigration Policy

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Georgia Office of the Governor, Georgia Secretary of State, HHS - Administration for Children and Families, HHS Office of the Inspector General, Small Business Administration
September 8, 2019

Photos from Inside Detention Centers for Migrant Children

Department of Health and Human Services, HHS - Administration for Children and Families, HHS Office of the Inspector General
August 30, 2019

News Roundup: Remain in Mexico’s Harmful Effects and Trump’s Dangerous Impatience

Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of the Interior, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DOI - U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, Florida House of Representatives, Florida Senate, HHS - Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services
July 19, 2019

News Roundup: Investigating the Fallout from Spring’s DHS Shakeup

Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Florida Office of the Governor, General Services Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority
June 27, 2019

The Department of Homeland Security Doesn’t Know Where Trump Got Those Immigration Numbers, Either

Department of Homeland Security, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
June 18, 2019

Lawsuit Seeks Records to Shed Light on Deaths of Detainees in DHS Custody

Department of Homeland Security, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
June 13, 2019

Documents Reveal New Information About 2017 CBP Media Efforts

DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
April 24, 2019

American Oversight and ACLU of Massachusetts Sue DHS for Border Security Plan

March 13, 2019

Two Years of American Oversight

February 15, 2019

News Roundup: Citizenship, the Census and the Constitution

Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice
February 1, 2019

News Roundup: More Troops at the Border Means More Questions for the Administration

Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security
January 18, 2019

News Roundup: Two Troubling Inspector General Reports

Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, General Services Administration
January 11, 2019

News Roundup: The Administration’s Misleading Claims About Terrorists at the Southern Border

Department of Homeland Security
December 27, 2018

Countdown to Oversight in 2019

December 12, 2018

Audit the Wall: No Plans, Funding or Timeline — And No Wall

Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
December 5, 2018

American Oversight Sues Administration for Records of Family-Separation Policy

Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, DHS - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DOJ - Executive Office for Immigration Review, HHS - Administration for Children and Families, HHS Office of the Inspector General
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