Trump Administration Colluding with Congress to Hide Emails?
Scandal Continues to Grow over Communications between Executive Departments/Agencies and Powerful Members of Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week we learned that House Financial Services Committee Chair Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) asked multiple federal agencies to decline all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for correspondence between his powerful committee and their departments. Last night, BuzzFeed News expanded on the story, reporting that at least three agencies have agreed to comply with this unprecedented request.
In response, Allied Progress released the following statement concerning these troubling efforts to conceal public records:
“On its face, it appears Republicans are colluding to hide their emails and communications from public scrutiny. The American people deserve to know what they’re hiding,” said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress.
He continued, “These actions undermine our basic system of checks and balances. Though Congress has conveniently exempted themselves from being open and transparent under open records laws, our federal agencies haven’t been shielded from public accountability. These agencies have an ethical and legal responsibility to share their records with the public and we will work to make sure they do.”
It is unclear what Hensarling and the Trump administration hope to conceal from the American people. News of the scandal broke just one day after Hensarling’s committee passed legislation that would gut protections from Wall Street fraud and recklessness by, among other things, making major rules changes at several federal departments and agencies, including those that were asked to reject FOIA requests.
To speak with Karl Frisch about the growing Trump administration/congressional public records scandal, please contact Tucker Middleton at 202-644-8526 or tucker@alliedprogress.org.
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Allied Progress is a nationwide, progressive advocacy organization that uses hard-hitting research and creative campaigns to hold Wall Street and powerful special interests accountable. Since launching in 2015, the organization has led high-profile campaigns on several issues including reforming the payday lending industry and exposing the those working to cripple the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).