3 ms·
That is accurate: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/obama-administration-sets-new-record-withholding-foia-requests https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/obama-a
by mlb_hn 8y ago
That is accurate:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/obama-administration-sets-new-record-withholding-foia-requests https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/obama-administration-set...
Background on FOIA: Basically, in 1966 the US Government created the Freedom of Information Act that allowed people to ask for records from federal agencies. In theory, it was supposed to create transparency. Unfortunately, it's a bit outdated and in many areas it's turned into many in the Government thinking requestors are just out to get them (and a lot of it is also commercial requesters). Under Obama, the USG denied more requests than ever. In their defense though, it's got really easy to do a FOIA request online and flood the government with requests (it only applies at the federal level, states have their own version of public information laws).
- creaghpatr 8y agoThe EPA used/uses fake email addresses to dodge FOIAs during the Obama and Trump administrations- guessing they all still do something like this. Scott Pruitt apparently has 4. >During President Barack Obama’s first term, then-EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson came under fire for maintaining a separate agency email under the alias “Richard Windsor” — a name that derived from Jackson’s family dog when she lived in East Windsor Township, N.J. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/12/scott-pruitt-has-four-different-epa-email-addresses-lawmakers-want-to-know-why/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.775a01b2cb5d https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/20...