FOIA Advisor

FOIA News: Defense IG recommends FOIA updates

Allan BlutsteinComment

Watchdog: Pentagon needs to update FOIA policies

By Rebecca Kheel, The Hill, Aug. 18, 2016

The Department of Defense (DOD) needs to improve its policies on responding to public-records requests, according to a new inspector general report.

The Pentagon’s inspector general evaluated the department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) policies at the request of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who wanted to know whether political appointees were adversely affecting responses from January 2007 to July 2015.

While the report called for the Pentagon to implement changes, it found no evidence of appointed officials unduly influencing responses to requests.

Read more here.