Why Isn’t the Department of Homeland Security Meeting the President’s Standard on FOIA?

Date: Thursday March 31th, 2011
Start Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

Witnesses:

Panel I:

• Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security

• Ivan Fong ,General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security

Panel II:

• Charles Edwards, Acting Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security

• John Verdi, Senior Counsel, Director of Open Government Project, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Description: The Committee will examine the Department of Homeland Security’s policy of requiring approval from political appointees to send responses to FOIA requests from the media and watchdog organizations. The Committee will also examine whether the Department still allows front office and public affairs staff to delay and withhold responses for political or other inappropriate reasons. The Committee released a report on their investigation today. Please click here to read a copy of the report.

Click here for updates on the hearing and witness testimony as it becomes available.

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