New: We are suing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and other state officials for failing to respond to dozens of open records requests related to voting rights and this election. americanoversight.org/american-overs…
Although early voting only just began this week, reports are already describing hours of waiting in line and issues with poll pad check-in computers. These follow the disastrous delays that plagued the June 2020 primary election.
In the last year, we made public records requests to Raffensberger’s office for emails related to the Absentee Ballot Task Force, communications with organizations that have a history of voter suppression efforts, records related to complications w/ the primary elections & more.
The Secretary of State’s office has provided documents in response to only three of those requests.
Today’s lawsuit, in which we’re represented by the law firm Caplan Cobb LLP, is part of our investigation into the effort to undermine the right to vote. Learn more about all of our investigations into voter suppression and voting access here: americanoversight.org/investigation/…
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Under MPP, which DHS announced in January 2019 and the Supreme Court ruled could continue in March 2020, asylum-seekers are forced to wait in Mexico while their cases proceed, forcing them to stay in dangerous locations, with limited access to attorneys & case info.
In a February 2017 presentation from the “U.S. Customs and Border Protections Migration Crisis Action Team,” a slide showed that CBP was planning to develop guidance for implementation of 235 (b)(2)(c).
New: Two sets of documents we obtained show federal agencies approved and/or were aware of President Trump’s tweets prior to him publishing them.
The records provide a unique look into the workings of the president’s Twitter account.
The first set shows DHS officials approved a tweet sent from President Trump’s personal Twitter account regarding the so-called migrant caravan on April 30, 2018. americanoversight.org/document/cbp-r…
In an email titled “Urgent: [redacted],” an executive secretary at DHS requested “clearance ASAP, since White House deadline is 1:45 pm.”
That email was then forwarded to a group that included Stephen Miller, Chad Wolf, and others.
On April 7, Wisconsin held primary elections as the state was under pandemic lockdowns.
Wisconsin required voters with absentee ballots to include a copy of a photo ID and for the absentee ballots themselves to be signed by a witness.
On March 31, Assistant Majority Leader Mary Felzkowski sent a constituent an email that showed the problems with the witness requirement: “I have heard a lot of creative solutions here. If you have someone willing to come over, you can sign it on one side of a window or door….
"and then put the ballot on through the door or window, and have the witness sign with their own pen. If someone doesn't have a person in their life that can come over, please let me know and we can maybe help find someone to witness.”
In particular, we’re drawing attention to the role of former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. While Nielsen has tried to distance herself from the policy, documents we uncovered through FOIA show her involvement.
On March 3, 2017, Reuters reported that the administration was considering a family-separation proposal. An unidentified person emailed the story to the DHS budget director: “I would be truly grateful if you could tell me this isn’t being seriously considered.”
Over six months into the pandemic, shortages of PPE remain.
New documents we obtained show Jared Kushner—the president’s son-in-law who was tasked with managing the supply chain of PPE—forwarded information about the importance of masks to combatting Covid-19.
On May 15, Kushner forwarded the—in his words—“interesting intel” that “masks really work” and are the “silver bullet in Asia.” The forwarded email info specified the benefits of surgical and N95 masks over homemade masks.
In the forwarded email, Kushner’s “good source” expressed “dismay” that DuPont, the American chemical company, no longer makes the effective melt-blown nonwoven fabric and that the country is “heavily dependent on Sinopec,” a Chinese company.
New: Yesterday, after weeks of delay, the FDA released its Emergency Use Authorization standards for prospective coronavirus vaccines. We had previously filed a FOIA request for the guidelines. americanoversight.org/fda-releases-c…
We sent the FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of Management and Budget requests seeking the guidelines on Sept. 30. This week, the FDA emailed us, “In response to your FOIA request, the EUA guidance is posted.”
The guidelines set in place new requirements that make it unlikely that a vaccine will receive authorization in the next month. The FDA is now advising vaccine developers to monitor trial participants for at least two months following their final dose of a vaccine or placebo.