#FOIA Director at Wash Post. Lawyer. Fellow at @NSArchive. Author of Revealing Records column. Wrote book on 1983 Able Archer Nuclear War Scare.
The swamp
Joined March 2009
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""I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't release that under #FOIA. Exemption Five."
My latest Revealing Records column: The government is enlisting AI to help decide what public records you get to see
Free: wapo.st/4rAfWdM
First admission I've seen of an agency (DC Dept of General Services) using AI to deny a FOIA. In this case, it was in two pretty clearly AI-written emails wrongly (IMO) denying The Post's clear cut fee status.
And is it worrying that gov employees are using personal AI tools?
FOIA Nateđź“„ retweeted
In August, Trump announced the “BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!”
But is it?
The text of the accord — which grants the U.S. sweeping access to Venezuela’s oil reserves — has been one of DC’s most sought-after secrets.
ProPublica got to see a copy. 🧵
Thanks to D.C. FOIA, was able to find out what happened with Boundary Stone SE 7, which was smashed by a car in 2024. It's been replaced by the city to a more accurate spot. Thanks, @OPinDC.
backstory: wtop.com/dc/2024/06/when-a-d…
FOIA Nateđź“„ retweeted
Lots of activity at East Potomac today. Trees are falling. Check out this video I just received
Beginning today, National Park Service crews will remove more than 500 trees at East Potomac Golf Links, according to a new filing in federal court.
The Park Service says the removals are part of an effort to restore the course’s historic character. wapo.st/4jOZkwP
*AND* found out this: Events DC --which runs DC stadiums and other things and has RFK pedestal in storage-- previously claimed that despite taking loads of tax $ it was not actually a DC agency.
A DC judge recently smacked that argument down! FOIA away!
districtdig.com/2026/05/28/w…
Newish fad is agencies trying to get out of doing the work of processing FOIAs by refusing to accept them as early as possible.
But claiming language stating "any documents..." or "all documents... " automatically makes a request overly broad is a new level of insulting.
"I love you Johan Sebastian Bach and King Frederick II, but you are not serious people!" @ShakespeareinDC
FOIA Nateđź“„ retweeted
Want to file FOIA requests like a pro? @rcfp asked journalists to share their top tips, including:
@JasonLeopold
@ReeseDunklin
@AzmatZahra
@FOIANate
@Kimbriell
Learn more: rcfp.org/how-to-file-foia-re…
And the answer, in all liklihood, is the State Department Historians Office removed it because the CIA asked them to. There is a sealed statement from a named CIA officer in the court docket .
Don't need "super intelligence" to figure that out.
