Coincidence that AO was already all over every issue on the top of Wiles' mind? Yeah, I think not.

Susie Wiles’ Vanity Fair interview admits that Trump is using the power of the federal government to attack people he doesn’t like. You deserve to know exactly how agencies are carrying out his orders. Here’s how we’re fighting to get that information: www.vanityfair.com/news/story/t...

Participating in my first Reddit AMA *right now* alongside legends and fellow (proud) FOIA nerds @laurenleharper.bsky.social @kevinok.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social → come join the fun www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comme...

Got #FOIA questions? @laurenleharper.bsky.social @kevinok.bsky.social & @lizhempowicz.bsky.social have the answers. Join us for a FOIA AMA today at 1 eastern.

Government transparency is the lifeblood of our democracy. We’ve filed thousands of public records requests this year and are ready to go to court when government officials attempt to keep documents hidden. Read more about our latest accountability work: americanoversight.org

The public has a right to know why the White House is trampling on D.C.’s home rule and deploying the Guard into another American city. That’s why we went to court for records on Trump’s federal power grab targeting D.C. and immigrant communities. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

We filed FOIA requests with DHS for records—including texts—regarding the June deployment of the National Guard to LA. DHS told us it can no longer search for text messages. And it hasn’t maintained that data since April. This is unlawful and alarming. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

NEW: We’re suing the IRS, the Treasury, and the Department of Education for records related to Trump’s unprecedented political attacks on Harvard. Today it’s Harvard. Tomorrow it could be any university, nonprofit, or foundation that serves the public. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Trump has turned the IRS and other federal agencies into political weapons—targeting those who don’t fall in line. The latest target? Harvard. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Trump has also sought to abuse the IRS to further his anti-immigrant goals. We recently succeeded in getting redactions lifted on an agreement between ICE and the IRS, which could compromise the personal information of millions of taxpayers. americanoversight.org/heres-what-t...

Cuts to the Social Security Administration — slashing the workforce, closing field offices, and implementing new policy changes — will directly impact millions of Americans. They deserve answers. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Never in my decade of filing FOIA requests have I gotten a response like this. Customs and Border Protection denies my request, saying "Due to law enforcement sensitivities we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records." No exemption cited, no name of who wrote this.

1) DOGE firing an entire FOIA office doesn't negate an agency's statutory requirements to process FOIAs. Even if the agency is taken down to bare bones. They are still required to process FOIAs. 2) There will be no way to rebuild what DOGE breaks if there are are no records to use as a roadmap.

“It shouldn’t matter who is overseeing this case or any others. What matters is whether or not there is a violation of the law.” americanoversight.org/court-orders...

Today, the court ordered officials to preserve Signal messages sent between March 11 and 15. “We know that it’s a first step,” said AO’s Chioma Chukwu. “There’s a lot more work to be done here.” Support our work and join the fight for our democracy: americanoversight.org/contribute/

“We’re going to have to keep going, because you can’t believe what the administration says. You have to watch what it does.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/u...

NEW: A federal court just ordered the Trump administration to preserve Signal messages from March 11–15. The ruling comes in our lawsuit against top officials for violations of federal records laws. americanoversight.org/court-orders...

And because Signal violated the PRA's preservation requirements, it would be Marco Rubio's job as acting archivist to refer the unlawful records destruction issue to the DOJ. Too bad Rubio was also on the Signal chat.

NEW: We’re suing several top Trump administration officials who discussed high-level national security deliberations over Signal for violations of the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act. americanoversight.org/litigation/a...

ICYMI, @propublica.org uncovered Project 2025 training videos last summer. And here’s where they discuss how to evade FOIA & hide their agenda from the public. The “Houthi PC small group” didn’t arise from ignorance of the law or incompetence. They just got caught.

JUST IN: American Oversight is suing Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe et al, saying their messaging via Signal is a violation of the Federal Records Act. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

I guess it's not surprising, but the daughter of the CEO of this ICE contractor was one of the 2020 "fake electors."

News outlets everywhere should follow @wired.com's lead in dropping paywalls for primarily FOIA-based reporting. freedom.press/issues/wired...

Totally agree with this. Flying a person to a third country that they may never have been to, directly into a prison where they are going to be forced to do hard labor, is not a deportation; it's something else entirely.

Amazing way to celebrate Sunshine Week during an otherwise preeeeeeetty dark time for government transparency. Love this from @freedom.press.

A judge recently ruled DOGE is likely subject to FOIA. But it’s still possible DOGE will continue operating with unchecked secrecy. Here are the five questions whose answers will shed light on DOGE’s FOIA future.

Once you establish that people can be punished because the administration doesn't like their speech, expanding the bounds of who can be treated that way becomes inevitable.

Redacted calendars. Communications on non-official accounts. Claims of “no information” in response to our requests. Why our investigation of Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks’ tenure as Texas border czar revealed more questions than answers: americanoversight.org/where-are-tr...

NEW LAWSUIT: Following reports that USAID staff were directed to shred and burn classified and personnel documents, we’re suing the Trump administration for violations of the Federal Records Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and FOIA. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Making government shittier for senior citizens so billionaires can get more tax breaks. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Last Week Tonight discussed conditions in ICE detention facilities — including our recent report with ACLU and Physicians for Human Rights that found that 95% of deaths in detention could likely have been prevented with adequate medical care. youtu.be/5Hpgu7wSUQQ?...

It would be easier to achieve "maximum transparency" if DOGE's tech geniuses didn't need three years to release eight weeks worth of records in response to a FOIA request.

"We get the tweets from Elon Musk saying what he thinks DOGE is doing, but we have no way to see the actual records that verify those claims," @laurenleharper.bsky.social tells @news.dw.com Secrecy is becoming a defining trait for DOGE, leaving the public in the dark about its influence.

NEW: We amended our lawsuit against the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, adding six additional requests that DOGE has failed to provide a timely response to, in violation of FOIA. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Could not be more ironic. He just said the days of "rule by unelected bureaucrats are over." Except...that is THE definition of Elon Musk. @Public_Citizen He also just returned to the drain the swamp trope...even more ironic in his govn. of BILLIONAIRES

Going to need to know if the same people who were responsible for quality control on the DOGE savings numbers fact checked this address.

As a democracy policy expert, a lobbyist, a lawyer, a guy with a master’s in public administration, and a polisci major, I promise you the distinction between “State of the Union” and “Address to a Joint Session of Congress” is not worth understanding or thinking about ever again

Reuters: USG "workers with top security clearances fired in mass layoffs overseen by Elon Musk ... were not given standard exit briefings and advised on what to do if approached by foreign adversaries" CNN: "US intel shows Russia and China are attempting to recruit disgruntled federal employees"

A former senior CFPB official has warned that there is “imminent risk that twelve years’ of critical CFPB records, which belong to the public, will be irretrievably lost and cost serious and sweeping damage.” americanoversight.org/featureddocu...

This is why Trump, Musk, and so-called DOGE are fighting basic pre-existing transparency requirements for the office's work. Their goal isn’t a more efficient or accountable government, it’s controlling the narrative to cover for sloppy cuts and self-enrichment. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/u...

The rule of law isn’t a political trading card. We filed a bar complaint against acting Deputy AG Emil Bove, who oversaw and directed the corrupt dismissal of NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal charges. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

how many anti-trans columns will this focus on "personal liberties" lead to do you think

We’re suing DOGE over FOIA requests for Elon Musk’s communications around the Trump administration’s purges of the federal workforce. The lawsuit will likely serve as the first test of whether DOGE is subject to FOIA. americanoversight.org/new-lawsuit-...

Such transparency. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/u...

Huh, turns out you can't have private UNIDENTIFIED security assault and kidnap people because you don't like what they say at city hall Weird.

One month ago, Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general in a late-night purge of officials tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. The firings were a clear legal violation — and an attack on the offices that hold our government accountable. americanoversight.org/american-ove...

Last week, the Texas Supreme Court heard arguments in our lawsuit against Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton for records we requested years ago. “At stake is who has the authority to compel the highest executives in the state to produce public documents.” www.dallasnews.com/opinion/edit...

Sounds logical but the government has duties businesses do not and this method does not improve or save money more than it indiscriminately destroys www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Read @bijansabet.com: “Public service is not a “lower productivity” endeavor. It is the foundation of our democracy, and its value is incalculable.” bijansabet.com/2025/02/06/p...