Press Release

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight filed a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC – pdf) requesting communications about its referral of evidence to the Inspector General (IG), pointing to ethical violations and related litigation. The FOIA request seeks records of communications about the group’s May 2022 referral to …

WASHINGTON – Empower Oversight filed a complaint against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC – pdf) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to compel the SEC to comply with a December 2022 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding conflicts of interest and selective enforcement by former high-level officials regarding cryptocurrencies. The December …

WASHINGTON — Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have sent two new letters probing illegal use of federal funds and whistleblower retaliation against former Special Agent Steve Friend—one to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ – pdf), and another to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG – pdf). …

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG – pdf) requesting documents and communications relating to compliance with and enforcement of legal requirements applicable to EcoHealth Alliance’s grant that was used to study bat coronaviruses …

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight filed a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG – pdf) calling for documents that may provide background on the agency’s failure to enforce proper procedures to review the COVID-19 research conducted by EcoHealth Alliance that was …

UPDATE (March 15, 2023): Assistant Inspector General Sean O’Neill from the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG – pdf) responded to Empower Oversight’s letter, confirming in writing that his office is indeed “interested in interviewing Mr. Friend about his allegations, which remain under assessment[.]” The letter corrects widely circulated false claims that the …

Empower Oversight Announces New President Former Senate-Confirmed MSPB Member Tristan Leavitt Added to Leadership Team WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight today announced the hiring of Tristan Leavitt as the new President of the organization. Founder Jason Foster remains Chairman of the Board and will continue to serve a senior advisory role in the organization. “It’s truly an …

WASHINGTON — Jason Foster, Founder and President of Empower Oversight, issued the following statement after Roslyn Layton filed a motion with Judge Analisa Torres in the Southern District of New York to gain access to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) documents pertaining to a controversial speech on cryptocurrencies that former SEC executive William Hinman delivered in 2018. “The …

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight has filed an opposition to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) motion to strike VA documents that Empower Oversight obtained—from another Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requestor and a confidential whistleblower involved in a lawsuit against the VA—and provided to the court. In support of its opposition, Empower Oversight submitted a declaration to the court explaining …

WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight has obtained documents the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) failed to provide pursuant to an August 2021 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The documents were included with a notice filed with the court in related litigation and point to knowledge of conflicts of interest at the VA long before the Inspector General (VA-OIG) launched …