Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

I’m Lauren Harper, the first Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), and welcome to “The Classifieds.” Read on to learn about this week’s top secrecy news.

Looking ahead to the midterm elections: Secrecy edition

The midterm elections are a year away, and it is essential to ensure that they are free and fair. A key way to force election integrity is through transparency, specifically surrounding the Department of Homeland Security’s election integrity unit and the Justice Department’s attempts to access voter data and equipment.

DHS’s election integrity unit is particularly secretive. President Donald Trump appointed prominent election denier Heather Honey, who claimed that Trump lost the 2020 election on account of voter fraud, to lead the effort, but very little is known about Honey’s time in government. This prompts the obvious question: What is she doing with her newfound power? Luckily, watchdog group American Oversight recently filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for Honey’s records.

FPF also filed a FOIA request for all of Honey’s official calendar entries to see who she’s meeting with to inform her work.

We’ve also filed multiple requests to the Justice Department’s Civil Division about its demands that certain states turn over voter registration databases and election equipment in its quest to search for ineligible votes.

Continued public scrutiny and transparency will be vital to safeguarding trust in the democratic process.

What FPF FOIA’d this week — and why we’re sharing

This week I thought I’d share some of the most interesting FOIAs I’ve filed lately. Why? As a requester, it helps me to know what other people are asking for, and what agencies are telling other requesters. Here are the headlines:

  • I asked the Energy Department for records sent or received by Secretary Chris Wright concerning nuclear weapons and/or nuclear systems testing in the wake of Trump’s announcement the U.S. would begin nuclear testing again.
  • I asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement for records about reports that its agents were terrorizing Los Angeles communities by wearing Halloween-themed masks during immigration raids.
  • I asked the State Department and ICE for their records about British journalist Sami Hamdi, who was detained by ICE officials after a pressure campaign by newly Pentagon-credentialed influencer Laura Loomer.
  • I asked the Defense Department for records about Timothy Mellon, who donated $130 million to pay for troop salaries during the shutdown, and conversations (if they exist) with ethics officials about the donation.
  • I asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the records it relied on for its announcement that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits would not be issued after Nov. 1 and that it could not use contingency funds for benefits.

What are you filing for? Send me an email or a DM if you’d like to share.

FPF suit will force ICE to check its emails from Congress

The government shutdown hasn’t stopped ICE from trampling civil liberties. The agency continues to tear apart families across the country, placing people in secretive detention centers beyond the reach of congressional oversight.

If a government shutdown can’t stop ICE from violating the law, then it won’t stop FPF from demanding transparency and accountability.

That’s why this week, FPF, represented by Free Information Group’s Kevin Bell and Ginger Quintero-McCall, filed a new Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against ICE.

Specifically, we are suing for all emails sent to ”[email protected],” the email address Congress is supposed to use when scheduling visits to ICE’s detention facilities. Our suit couldn’t come at a more important time. ICE has been trying to curtail legislative access to these facilities for months, and recently furloughed its entire congressional relations office, leaving lawmakers without a clear point of contact.

Our litigation will not only show how members of Congress are fighting for their rightful access to these facilities — it will literally force ICE to check its emails from Congress.

What I'm Reading

Transparently yours,

Lauren Harper

Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy
Freedom of the Press Foundation