Intelligence Agency Scrubbed FOIA Documents After Biden-Era Release Caused 'Fuss'
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence removed all documents from its public Freedom of Information Act website last year. Internal emails show the scrubbing happened after a Biden-era FOIA release caused a 'fuss' at the spy agency.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) quietly removed all documents from its FOIA reading room website last year, according to a Bloomberg investigation by reporter Jason Leopold.
The scrubbing happened in early May after transparency expert Lauren Harper at the Freedom of the Press Foundation received a copy of an intelligence assessment on May 5. Internal emails obtained through FOIA requests reveal the document release caused a 'fuss' within the agency.
FOIA laws require government agencies to make certain documents publicly available online. The ODNI reading room previously contained intelligence assessments, memos, and other records that citizens could access without filing formal requests.
The agency is now run by Tulsi Gabbard, though the document removal occurred during a swirling controversy at ODNI. The Freedom of the Press Foundation says the scrubbing 'reeks of unlawful, partisan interference' in the agency's FOIA office at taxpayer expense.
Leopold filed additional FOIA requests to uncover what led to the website purge and whether it violated transparency laws.
FOIA laws give you the right to see government documents your tax dollars pay for. When agencies hide or remove these records, it makes it harder for citizens and journalists to hold the government accountable for its actions.
Watch for results of Leopold's FOIA requests and potential legal challenges to the document removal.
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