Topic: Government Transparency

Rejection Response from IRS Regarding Email Communications Concerning a Congressional Committee’s Request for Trump’s Tax Return


September 13, 2019
Internal Revenue Service stated that it would not provide these records regarding a request for communications as “return information of a third party are confidential and may not be disclosed unless specifically authorized by law.” American Oversight sought communications concerning a draft memo concluding that the Department of Treasury is required to produce any tax return information requested by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

DOE Records Regarding Rick Perry’s Travel Expenses During 2017

September 5, 2019
Records from the Department of Energy of trip expenses taken by Rick Perry. These records document trips from 2017 to Rome and Houston, Dallas, and Tokyo, among other cities.

USDA Communications with Law Firms Regarding Ivanka Trump’s Use of Personal Email For Official Government Business

August 30, 2019
Records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding communications with Ivanka Trump's law firms regarding Ivanka Trump and her use of personal email for official government business.

FOIA to State Department Seeking Ambassador Craft’s Personal Emails Concerning Agency Business

August 29, 2019
FOIA to State Department seeking Ambassador Kelly Craft’s personal emails concerning agency business, in light of Ambassador Craft’s statements to Congress that she has used personal email for agency business but has not provided copies of all such exchanges.

Complaint: American Oversight v. ED – DeVos Personal Email

August 28, 2019
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the Department of Education seeking emails concerning agency business sent by Secretary Betsy DeVos using a personal account. This complaint was initially filed on July 17, 2019, and amended on August 28, 2019, in light of an inspector general report that found that DeVos had used four separate personal email accounts for government work.

DHS Records of New Political Appointee Resumes and Job Titles

August 21, 2019
Records from the Department of Homeland Security in response to American Oversight's request for the resumes, job titles, SF-50s, and ethics waivers for political appointees who joined the administration or were assigned to new positions since American Oversight's last request in 2017.

Complaint: American Oversight and Democracy Forward v. VA and NARA — David Shulkin’s Personal Emails

August 21, 2019
Lawsuit filed by American Oversight and Democracy Forward against the National Archives and Records Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Archivist David Ferriero and VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for failing to recover and preserve emails former VA Secretary David Shulkin sent from a personal account used to conduct government business with outside advisers. The Federal Records Act requires the preservation of all agency records.

No Records Response from DHS Regarding Ivanka Trump Personal Email Use

August 14, 2019
The Department of Homeland Security stated that it had no records of political appointees corresponding with Ivanka Trump's personal email account or about Ivanka Trump's use of personal email.

FOIA to USDA Seeking Secretary Perdue’s Personal Emails Concerning Agency Business

August 12, 2019
FOIA to U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking Secretary Perdue’s personal emails concerning agency business. American Oversight seeks these records to shed light on Secretary Perdue's actions and communications during his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture.

FOIA to USDA Seeking Secretary Perdue’s Sent External Emails

August 12, 2019
FOIA to U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking Secretary Perdue’s sent email communications to non-governmental addresses. American Oversight seeks these records to shed light on Secretary Perdue's actions and communications during his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture.