FOIA Update

Empower Oversight Seeks Communications between Justice Department and Biden Legal Team, Media

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has filed with the Justice Department two new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the investigation of Hunter Biden. The first request asks for all communications to or from Justice Department employees and Hunter Biden’s legal team. The second request asks for communications between the Justice Department and members of

Empower Oversight Presses for Additional Crypto Communications from Clayton SEC Tenure

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight has submitted a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking communications between Jay Clayton, the former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman, and numerous people he may have interacted with regarding the agency’s improper handling of cryptocurrency enforcement decisions. The request stems from Clayton’s statements regarding Bitcoin and other senior officials’

Empower Oversight: Hunter Biden Attorneys’ Letter Lobbying the Biden Justice Department to Prosecute IRS Whistleblowers Should be Public

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight (Empower) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for communications initiated by attorneys for Hunter Biden to the Department of Justice asking the department to investigate IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley. Shapley made protected whistleblower disclosures to the U.S. House of Representatives about the handling and prosecution of Hunter

Empower Oversight Litigation Forces SEC to Release Additional Documents on Cryptocurrency Conflicts

WASHINGTON — Following two years of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and litigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission has now turned over new documents in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from Empower Oversight related to possible conflicts of interest in its cryptocurrency enforcement decisions. The latest batch of documents follows a May FOIA lawsuit brought

Empower Oversight and Just The News Seek Records to Shed Light on the IRS and Congressional Oversight

Transmitted: February 24, 2023 To: Internal Revenue Services, GLDS Support Service Full Letter: Letter to the Internal Revenue Services (PDF) RE: Request for Records Relating to DOJ-OIG’s Decision Not to Investigate a Whistleblower Allegations of Systemic Abuses by the FBI SUMMARY Empower Oversight Founder and President Jason Foster, alongside Just The News Editor-In-Chief John Solomon,

Empower Oversight Probes Failure to Oversee Grants to EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute

Transmitted: February 6, 2023 To: Office of the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health Full Letters: Letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (PDF)Letter to the National Institutes of Health (PDF) RE: FOIA Request for Information Relating to NIH/NIAID’s Failure to Enforce a Grant Provision Requiring EcoHealth Alliance to Submit

Empower Oversight Demands Answers on FBI Retaliation Against Whistleblower Steve Friend

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight filed two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on January 31, 2023, seeking records to shed light on the actions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, pdf) and the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG, pdf). One FOIA request seeks documents relating to the FBI’s retaliation against Special Agent Stephen Friend

Empower Oversight Presses for Transparency on Excess Salary Paid to Former Intel Community IGs

Transmitted: January 4, 2023 To: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General; Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency; and National Security Agency Full Letters: Letter to the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector GeneralLetter to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency FOIA OfficerLetter to the National Security AgencyRE: Requests