Topic: Government Transparency

Arizona Supreme Court Rules on Arizona Senate’s Use of Legislative Privilege to Withhold Records from Election ‘Audit’

August 31, 2022
The ruling makes it easier for officials to hide records from the public, but orders the Senate to release any administrative, political, and other non-legislative communications it has withheld.

Before Former AG Barr Condemned Trump’s Stolen-Election Claims, He Sowed Distrust About the Risks of Widespread Voter Fraud

August 25, 2022
Before the 2020 election, Barr promoted baseless claims about the dangers of absentee voting. Records uncovered by American Oversight also highlight his efforts to codify an accelerated investigation timeline for federal fraud investigations.

American Oversight Asks Maryland Attorney General for Oversight of Gov. Hogan’s Use of Wickr

August 22, 2022
American Oversight asked the Maryland attorney general to issue guidance on elected officials’ use of auto-deleting messaging technology, following reports that Gov. Larry Hogan and members of his office had used Wickr to communicate about government business.

News Roundup: ‘The Evidence Speaks for Itself’

August 19, 2022
The costly repercussions of the Wisconsin election investigation were thrown into stark relief this week.

American Oversight Seeks Default Judgment in Lawsuit for Texas Attorney General’s Emails and Texts

August 11, 2022
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton failed to answer American Oversight’s lawsuit seeking records from Jan. 6 and the aftermath of the Uvalde mass shooting.

News Roundup: Deleted Jan. 6 Texts and ‘Practical Impossibilities’

August 5, 2022
Our FOIA litigation revealed that the Defense Department and the Army also deleted the text messages of top Trump administration officials from the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Defense Department and Army Failed to Preserve Jan. 6 Text Messages — American Oversight Calls for Investigation

August 2, 2022
In response to American Oversight’s litigation, the Defense Department and the Army have confirmed in court filings that the phones of certain former senior Trump administration officials had been wiped — and that any text messages from Jan. 6, 2021, were not preserved.

Letter to Attorney General Garland Regarding the DOD’s Failure to Preserve Communications from Jan. 6th

August 2, 2022
American Oversight letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting an investigation of the Department of Defense's failure to preserve test messages and other communications from Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

News Roundup: The ‘Wild/Creative’ Fake Electors Scheme

July 29, 2022
“Kind of wild/creative” — that’s how a Trump-allied lawyer, in an early December 2020 email, characterized the scheme to submit fake electoral certificates in an attempt to overturn the election results.

News Roundup: Wisconsin Court Order, Trump Accountability, and State Anti-Immigration Measures

July 8, 2022
Amid another week of somber headlines, American Oversight achieved a victory for accountability in the world of bogus election reviews.