FOIA Update

Empower Oversight Sues SEC for More Crypto Conflict Documents

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has filed a lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its failure to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking documents related to cryptocurrency conflicts of interest at the agency. “By slow walking their response to our FOIA request, the SEC is stonewalling Empower’s oversight into

Empower Oversight Seeks Additional Documents to Shine Light on Former SEC Leadership Involvement in Crypto Decision-making

WASHINGTON – Years into a quest to uncover information about how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made decisions about its regulation of cryptocurrencies, Empower Oversight is seeking new, specific cryptocurrency-related communications of William Hinman, the Director of the Division of Corporate Finance at the SEC from 2017-2020, and Jay Clayton, the former Chairman of

Whistleblower’s Prayer Journal to Help Feed Family Delayed by FBI for Entire Year

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has filed the third in a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the FBI’s retaliation against whistleblower Marcus Allen by denying him any source of income while suspended without pay.  The FOIA request seeks documents related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) delaying an entire year before

The Federalist: Al Jazeera Is A Foreign Agent For Qatar, So Why Isn’t Biden Making It Register As One?

Is Washington genuinely concerned about foreign influence threats to America, or is it more concerned about politics — either selectively pursuing claims of such threats or more perversely weaponizing those claims to target domestic foes? The Biden Justice Department’s seeming refusal to enforce the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) and stonewalling of those who would

Empower Continues Quest for Answers on Retaliation Against FBI Whistleblower

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI whistleblower retaliation continues to wreak havoc on whistleblower Marcus Allen and his family, who have waited for more than two years without a resolution to his case.  The FBI suspended Allen’s security clearance in reprisal for protected whistleblowing, then suspended him indefinitely without pay. During that time

WHISTLEBLOWERS ALLEGE DOJ LOOKING TO BAN PRIVATE SALES OF FIREARMS

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has learned from sources that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has drafted a 1,300 page document attempting to justify a rule pursuing citizens for the private sale of firearms. Empower has also learned from its sources that the drafting of the document is reportedly being overseen by Senior

After 5 Years of Requests, 1 Lawsuit and More Than 500 Documents Released, DOJ Still Won’t Answer Al Jazeera-FARA Questions 

WASHINGTON – After nearly five years of congressional requests, official Freedom of Information Act filings and litigation, it still remains a mystery as to why the Justice Department has yet to require Al Jazeera to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), despite asking the Qatari government funded entity to do so more than 3

Empower Oversight Obtains Copies of Google Gag Orders, Presses Justice Department to Justify Hiding its Collection of Congressional Staff Communications Records from the Public

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has obtained copies of five previously sealed court orders between 2017 and 2021 that prohibited Google from notifying Congressional staff that it had turned over their email and text records to the Justice Department. Copies of these newly public orders are attached to the latest in a series of Freedom of