@laurenleharper
Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy at @freedom.press. Interested in reducing overclassification, FOIA reform, enforcement of the Presidential Records Act, and preservation of federal records. Opinions mine. Signal leharper.89
NEW: The Navy is no longer allowed to shroud its criminal trials in secrecy and must provide public access to hearings and records, a federal judge ruled last month, the result of a yearslong lawsuit filed by ProPublica.
Best guesses for overclassification across the govt range from 75-90%.
NSA takes 12 years to send @jasonleopold.bsky.social an UNCLASSIFIED report on how the agency is (or, more accurately, isn't) addressing overclassification. 😬
The report doesn't quantify how much is overclassified, but a former director once quipped that a merry christmas email was top secret.
We don’t yet know if Estefany Rodríguez’s detention was in retaliation for her reporting but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
ICE abductions of noncitizen journalists take the reporters best equipped to cover immigration enforcement off the beat.
If you're sending FOIAs re Kristi Noem any time soon, get them in ASAP and request expedited processing.
Hard to believe, but something tells me DHS and Noem aren't going to be itching to ensure they are following records preservation rules.
"I hope you are impressed," he said to me. "How do you like the performance? I mean, Venezuela is obvious. This might be even better. How do you like the performance?"
"I hope you are impressed," he said to me. "How do you like the performance? I mean, Venezuela is obvious. This might be even better. How do you like the performance?"
"How do you like the performance?"
An illegal war for the sake of spectacle and the amusement of POTUS.
For months, DHS tried to keep it a secret that it had killed a U.S. citizen.
Then came a FOIA request from @weareoversight.bsky.social,
There is no better example of why FOIA matters.
Great work by @weareoversight.bsky.social.
The NYT reported that the DoD told State in a phone call that they didn't want to bring boat strike survivors to the U.S. to enter the legal system.
I FOIAd DoD and State for the records of that call.
DoD said, despite a thorough search, the found nothing.
Let's see if State can tell the truth.
Love it when agencies remind me I can sue them.
In this case, IRS lets me know all the steps I need to take to sue over their failure to release an email about the legal deficiencies in ICE's request to access taxpayer data.
Overall staffing numbers are pretty consistent, so it's not from staff reductions.
Love to see stories like this that add useful context and cite declassified documents.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
This under-investment will make it much more difficult to pry loose records about illegal boat strikes, a needless war in Iran, Pete Hegseth's creepy relationship with Doug Wilson, and much more.
This under-investment will make it much more difficult to pry loose records about illegal boat strikes, a needless war in Iran, Pete Hegseth's creepy relationship with Doug Wilson, and much more.
The Defense Department spent $38,000,000 LESS on FOIA in FY 2025 than it did in 2024.
This is a 37% decrease.
Other agencies do not report nearly the same drop in spending, in fact many spent more in 2025 than 2024.
pclt.defense.gov/Portals/140/...
Interestingly, the CIA actually spent $2 million more on FOIA In FY 2025 than 2024
More strikingly, the agency somehow spent $38,000,000 less on FOIA in 2025 than in 2024.
I spy something different on the title page of the Department of War's FOIA FY 2025 report.
Not gonna trust that math since they calculated the % of costs recovered in fees vs total costs wrong (it's .09% not .0009%)
pclt.defense.gov/Portals/140/...
what a get from @josephcox.bsky.social and @404media.co - doc obtained via FOIA
1. Trump steals presidential records, takes them to MaL
2. FBI investigates
3. Trump's indicted, then re-elected
4. Cannon buries Jack Smith report
5. Patel fires FBI officials who worked docs case, incl Iran experts
6. Trump attacks Iran for no reason
7. FBI doesn't have Iran resources it needs
The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy is hosting an online event tomorrow on how archivists and librarians help preserve access to records & strengthen democracy.
Looks like a great conversation w/former AOTUS Colleen Shogan and others: www.eipad.org/2026-events
Kristi Noem with triple thickness fake eyelashes on.
Kristi Noem testifying before SJC now.
www.c-span.org/event/senate...
Wouldn't want to denigrate a mob that murdered an abolitionist or hunters whose greed nearly caused the california condor to go extinct!
Not a good time for the Pentagon Inspector General to be a coward.
too bad. seems like a good time for the Pentagon IG to have some guts (and IG experience).
Would should know if anyone with a vested interest in overthrow of the Iranian govt donated to:
1. White House Ballroom
2. Trump Presidential Foundation complex (not a library) in Miami
We should know if anyone w/similar interests visited the WH or MaL.
Donations & visitor logs should be public.
I've FOIAd DOD/DOJ for docs concerning the legal rationale, the DNI for the most recent National Intelligence Estimate RE Iran's nuclear program, and any memcons or telcons concerning Rubio's interactions with the leaders of Saudi, Bahrain, and UAE for the 2 weeks prior to the strike.
What ab u?
Special Inspector General on Iran Reconstruction job posting coming soon.
