Latest news with #FOIAFiles
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Bloomberg
The Case of the ‘Lost' FOIA Requests
FOIA requests at numerous federal agencies in February were 'lost' by a government records contractor. It turns out, the 'data failure' was linked to two convicted hackers who worked at the company. Welcome to a special edition of FOIA Files! Today, I published a wild story sparked by an email I received from a federal agency. It alerted me that a few days' worth of Freedom of Information Act requests submitted in February had been 'lost' due to a 'data failure' or an 'outage' at a software company the agencies work with. My investigation into the incident led to a big reveal related to some twin problems. Read on for the backstory! And If you're not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here. If you've ever submitted a FOIA request through a federal agency's public access portal there's a good chance you're using an application called FOIAXpress. The software was developed by Opexus, a Washington-based company that provides software services for processing US government records.
Bloomberg
02-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Here Are the Job Titles and Salary Ranges of Some DOGE Staffers
Welcome back to FOIA Files! On Jan. 29, a couple of weeks before Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (better known by its acronym, DOGE) began gutting the federal workforce, I tried to figure out who'd been hired to help execute the plans. I filed a FOIA request with the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources agency, asking for a list of all individuals hired since Jan. 20, along with their title and job description. I just received that document—keep reading to see what I was able to glean from it. If you're not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here. Heads up, I'll be discussing the state of FOIA in a Bloomberg Live Q&A with Edward Ludlow on Friday, May 9 at 1pm EDT. Send me any FOIA-related questions in advance at liveqa@
Bloomberg
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump's Special Envoy Richard Grenell Was Once Subject of Leak Probe
FOIA Files is back! I hope everyone had a relaxing spring break and a joyful Passover and Easter. I spun records by Joe McPhee, Albert Ayler and Paul Bley and totally zoned out on free jazz. Speaking of records, I recently obtained a stack of another variety. These came from the State Department's Office of Inspector General, and include final reports of investigation related to waste, fraud and abuse. Buried deep in the more than 500 pages of documents, which I requested in 2022, two reports stood out. One is about a leak investigation involving then-Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell (now President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Special Missions of the United States and interim director of the Kennedy Center). The other is about former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speechwriter, who apparently had a voracious appetite for Wi-Fi while traveling on Air Force Two. If you're not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here. Grenell is a prolific poster on X. In 2016, when the social media platform was known as Twitter, he described Trump as 'dangerous' and 'reckless.' After Trump won the presidential election, Grenell deleted his tweets and became one of the president's most trusted confidantes and defenders. That loyalty was rewarded when Grenell was nominated ambassador to Germany in September 2017.
Bloomberg
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
How the SEC Responded to Trump's Inspectors General Purge
Welcome back to FOIA Files! Just four days after President Donald Trump's inauguration, he fired several agency watchdogs—inspectors general—that investigate claims of waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending. Since then, I've sent Freedom of Information Act requests to nearly every agency that has an office of inspector general to find out exactly who was fired and what the response was to the dismissals. The Securities and Exchange Commission responded with a couple dozen pages of documents that reveal how the regulator prepared for the possibility that its own inspector general would be next (she was spared). Plus, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing earlier this week on the state of the FOIA. If you're not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here. Inspectors general, or IGs, are a vital part of the federal bureaucracy. Former President Jimmy Carter signed the Inspector General Act of 1978 that introduced IGs in the executive branch. Half of the 73 IGs are appointed by the president, while the rest are appointed by the head of each agency. The law says the president can remove any presidential appointees, but only after a 30-day notification is provided to Congress.
Bloomberg
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Filed a FOIA Request. We FOIAed His FOIA.
Welcome back to FOIA Files, the April Fool's Day edition! On Tuesday, April 1, the Trump administration, as part of its ongoing purge of federal workers, decimated the FOIA staffs at three government agencies: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. This is no joke. FOIA offices inside at least six government agencies, including the Department of Education, the US Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have now been shuttered or seen their staffs dramatically reduced. In all, it stands to be a huge loss for government transparency. It's also ironic. Believe it or not, President Donald Trump has used the FOIA. In fact, I just got a copy of his most recent request. Keep reading to learn more. If you're not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here. It's highly unusual for a former president to utilize the Freedom of Information Act. That's why my ears perked up when, in March 2023, Trump's then attorney James Trusty told Fox News that the then-former president submitted a FOIA request to the National Archives and Records Administration.
