Proponents of the Big Lie are increasingly looking to replicate the Arizona election “audit” in their own states. Records we obtained show that election-denying activists were frequently in touch with those involved in the Arizona effort. #FoiaFriday
In June, “audit” spokesman Randy Pullen received a text message from William “Sparky” Smith, who is from a group called the Election Integrity Project. documentcloud.org/documents/2105…
“We would like for our 4-6 member team to meet with Az Audit officials who can give details of the logistics of a major audit,” Smith wrote. Smith wanted help setting up an “audit” of counties in California. Pullen responded by asking how he could help.
A few days later, a reporter texted Pullen to ask, “Do you know if your folks have been in touch with Sen. Dave Argall from PA? He says he wants to do an audit too.” Pullen replied, “I think so.”
A calendar entry for an “Election Integrity Call” on July 3 includes Wisconsin Rep. Janel Brandtjen, who has tried to start an investigation in Wisconsin (separate from the one undertaken by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos).
Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem and Catherine Engelbrecht, the founder of voting-restriction organization True the Vote, were also invited to participate in the call.
The agenda includes updates on 13 states, with Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin listed as “Tier 1.” It’s unclear whose calendar this appears on, but a similar invitation for an earlier call was sent to Arizona Sen. Sonny Borelli.
We sued the DOJ and the FBI for any records of interviews with Donald Trump in connection with the government’s investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. americanoversight.org/american-overs…
The FBI previously refused to confirm whether records of interviews with Trump exist. We filed suit amid continued revelations about Trump’s connections to Epstein — including reports that the president’s name appeared repeatedly in internal government reviews of related records.
“The American people deserve to know whether the president of the United States was questioned by federal investigators about his ties to one of the nation’s most notorious sexual predators,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said.
The DeSantis administration has turned an airfield in the Everglades into a detention center cruelly dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
We filed a suite of public records requests to investigate.
Trump wants to deport 1 million people annually.
But with limited immigration detention capacity, the administration is scrambling to find more places to detain people.
So the administration has turned to local and state governments, private industry, and the use of military bases to attempt to fulfill its anti-immigrant ambitions. But the lack of oversight at these facilities opens the door for mistreatment and worsening conditions.
The Trump admin. has taken aim at public education. But the far-right incursion into public schools has been happening at the state level for years — especially in Florida.
Here’s what we’ve uncovered about the harmful effects of Gov. DeSantis’ education policies.
In 2022, Florida adopted a slew of laws upending public education by mandating reviews of books for prohibited content, allowing parents greater ability to challenge classroom lessons, and barring instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for certain grade levels.
These laws have left educators and others uncertain and confused, unleashing a chilling effect that has made teachers’ jobs harder and limited what children can learn.
The public’s right to know is under unprecedented threat. For years, we’ve remained steadfast in our commitment to exposing the truth and protecting public access to information so that the people can hold government accountable. americanoversight.org/celebrating-am…
Since last year’s Sunshine Week, we have had several victories for transparency at both the national and state level.
In May, an appeals court ruled in our favor in a years-old case regarding the release of records about 2017 efforts to weaken the ACA. americanoversight.org/democracy-forw…
The ruling made clear that agencies couldn’t use what is known as the “consultant corollary” to evade public disclosure of records when supposed “consultants” (in this case, Congress) have their own interests at stake when it comes to agency decision-making.
We’re pleased that our lawsuit for records from the federal investigation of Matt Gaetz was a key part of the public pressure that led to his decision to withdraw from attorney general consideration. americanoversight.org/statement-from…
Gaetz’s withdrawal is a clear indication that public demand for information and a transparent process will remain a powerful force for holding leaders accountable. Through our litigation, we will continue to demand answers about the alleged conduct of Mr. Gaetz.
Earlier this week, we filed a motion for preliminary injunction in our ongoing lawsuit for the release of interview records, known as “302s,” from the FBI’s investigation of Gaetz for serious criminal allegations, including sex trafficking of a minor. documentcloud.org/documents/2534…
We recently launched an investigation into efforts to undermine direct democracy and sabotage abortion access ballot measures, which will be considered by voters in ten states this November. #FoiaFriday americanoversight.org/investigation/…
Since 2022, 7 states have protected abortion rights through ballot initiatives.
In November, 10 states will have initiatives related to abortion rights on their ballots: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.
In addition to a litany of lawsuits from conservative activists challenging the qualifying status of abortion-related ballot measures, legislators in many states have proposed laws that would change the requirements for ballot initiatives to make passage more difficult.