FOIA Update

Empower Oversight Appeals FOIA Decision for Records Related to FBI Retaliation Against Employees

Empower Oversight has appealed the Department of Justice’s ruling denying Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seeking additional information about the agency’s retaliation against various FBI employees.  Empower Oversight submitted a FOIA request on Sept. 9, 2024. The Justice Department denied the request on Nov. 26, 2024, asserting

IRS Whistleblowers Appeal Court Ruling as Empower Oversight Files Lawsuit Over Justice Department Withholding Hunter Biden Communications

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for failing to respond to multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for its communications related to IRS whistleblowers Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Gary Shapley and Special Agent (SA) Joe Ziegler and the protected disclosures they made to Congress. The

New Documents in Empower Oversight Fight for Answers to SEC Conflicts of Interest Probe

The Securities and Exchange Commission has provided Empower Oversight with a partial response to its May 15, 2023 Freedom of Information Act request. The nearly 500 pages of heavily redacted pages are available on Document Cloud. Since August 2021, Empower Oversight has pressed the SEC for more transparency about the decision making on cryptocurrency issues

SEC FOIA UPDATE: Communications about Empower Oversight’s IG referral

The Securities and Exchange Commission has provided a second partial response to Empower Oversight’s Freedom of Information Act request from May 15, 2023.  The request centered around communications about the oversight organization’s referral of evidence to the Inspector General, pointing to ethical violations and related litigation. Empower Oversight sought records of communications about the group’s May 2022

Empower Oversight Presses Wray on Whistleblowers Exposing Politicization at FBI’s Security Division

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight is pressing FBI Director Wray on the improper politicization of the agency’s Security Division (SecD). Following new allegations of retaliation against those in SecD who resisted weaponizing the security clearance process but were overruled by leadership, Empower Oversight has now demanded records related to the restoration of FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen’s

Empower Oversight Seeks Records of Collusion with Members of Congress to Retaliate Against FBI Whistleblowers 

Empower Oversight has submitted a new FOIA request seeking documents and communications from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI personnel about the law enforcement agency whistleblowers who testified to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government. Recent revelations suggest that government personnel privately coordinated with staff of a member of Congress

Empower Oversight Presses for Records of FBI Handling of Whitey Bulger Case

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight is pressing for records that could expose the lack of disciplinary measures taken against Supervisory Special Agent John Morris related to his role in the scandal over the FBI’s mishandling of mob boss/informant Whitey Bulger. Bulger was a Boston crime mob boss who served as an FBI confidential informant for 15

Empower Oversight Presses SEC on Former Leadership’s Crypto Communications and Conflicts of Interest

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight is again pressing the Securities and Exchange Commission for additional records regarding the public declarations that multiple cryptocurrencies were not a security by both William Hinman, the former director of the Corporate Finance Division, and Jay Clayton, the former Chairman of the SEC. Through previous Freedom of Information Act requests, Empower