Topic: Government Transparency

FOIA to DOD USCG Seeking Guidance on Veterans’ Review Boards

January 29, 2020
FOIA request to Department of Defense seeking guidance on the publication of past decisions by Discharge Review Boards (DRBs) & Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCMRs) and training for personnel responsible for deciding which board decisions should be posted.

State Records Regarding the Commission on Unalienable Rights

January 27, 2020
Records from the Department of State in response to American Oversight's request for records regarding the Commission on Unalienable Rights, including meeting documents prepared by or for members of the commission. These records were requested under the Department of State's Federal Advisory Committee Act.

News Roundup: Evidence of Obstruction

January 24, 2020
We uncovered emails revealing new details about the Ukraine scandal, and the next day, they were on the Senate floor in the impeachment trial.
Representative Jason Crow holds up a heavily-redacted email from the Office of Management and Budget during the Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday

FACA Request to State Seeking Records from the Commission on Unalienable Rights

January 23, 2020
A request under the Department of State's Federal Advisory Committee Act for meeting documents prepared by or for members of the State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights.

Public Information Request to Multiple Texas Entities Seeking Records Retention and Email Auto-deletion Policies

January 21, 2020
Public information request to multiple Texas government entities seeking policies, memoranda, and guidance regarding records retention and automatic email deletion.

FOIA to DOJ Seeking Records Deemed Non-Responsive to Request for Communications Concerning Judicial Nominations

January 16, 2020
FOIA to the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking records that DOJ initially deemed were responsive to a FOIA for communications concerning judicial nominations, which were then deemed non-responsive and not produced.

DOI Calendars for Deputy Chiefs of Staff Downey Magallanes and Michael Argo and CoS Scott Hommel

January 10, 2020
This is a response to our request for the calendars of certain political appointees within the Department of the Interior includes the calendars of Deputy Chief of Staff Downey Magallanes from September 2017 through March 2018 and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Michael Argo from November 2017 through May 2018. In August 2018, we received calendars for Chief of Staff Scott Hommel from Jan 30, 2017 - July 2, 2018, and Deputy Secretary and OFAS conference rooms from January 23 - June 5, 2018.

Answer: American Oversight and Democracy Forward v. State Department et al.

January 10, 2020
Answer filed by the government in response to the Federal Records Act lawsuit brought by American Oversight and the Democracy Forward Foundation against the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the National Archives, and Archivist David Ferriero under the Federal Records Act to compel the defendants to preserve and recover any records of meetings between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

DOE Emails with External Parties Regarding Nuclear Technology

January 9, 2020
Emails from the Department of Energy in response to American Oversight's request for communications of high-ranking agency officials with non-governmental individuals and organizations with ties to the nuclear technology industry.

Did the Trump Administration Abuse the Redactions Process?

January 7, 2020
FOIA has become the only vehicle to force the release of Ukraine records. But documents exposed last week show that the administration still has plenty of opportunities to obstruct.