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American Oversight Sues Treasury for Records Related to Coronavirus Stimulus
Related Blog Posts All Investigation Update News June 30, 2020 Investigations Update: Family Separation, Unmarked Law Enforcement, and Trump’s Campaign Rallies Agency for International Development, Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Cameron County - Texas, Customs and Border Protection, Dallas County - Texas, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of...
New Lawsuit Seeks Records of Jared Kushner’s Failed Coronavirus Supply Chain Task Force
Related Blog Posts All Investigation Update News June 19, 2020 News Roundup: The Administration’s Failure to Confront Two National Crises Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Civil Division, Civil Rights Division, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Financial...
News Roundup: Corruption and Coronavirus
As the nation battles the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump is apparently counting on the public to be too distracted to pay much attention to his continuing dictator-like purges of government officials and his brazen rejection of oversight. First, Trump announced late last Friday that he would nominate White House lawyer Brian Miller to be the special inspector general overseeing the implementation of the $500 billion corporate bailout included in the coronavirus relief bill.
News Roundup: Rising Coronavirus Fears and Sinking Public Trust
The uncertainty and fear surrounding the coronavirus have laid bare the deadly consequences of President Donald Trump’s preferred method of leadership, summed up as a demand for obsequious loyalty and a refusal to take responsibility for mistakes. It’s been more than a month since the first confirmed case in the United States, but the administration’s response has only revealed inefficiency and intensified concerns.
American Oversight’s 2019 in Review: Nine Important Stories We Uncovered
A recurring theme of 2019, a year that began with a new House majority and a record-long partial government shutdown, was President Donald Trump’s disdain for constitutional checks and balances, specifically his blanket obstruction of congressional oversight. In January, the administration was making excuses and blaming its failure to respond to requests on the shutdown.
State Department Emails Show How Embassy Websites Promoted Mar-a-Lago
Publish Date: December 11, 2017 In April 2017, multiple U.S. embassies around the world began sharing an article on their websites and social media pages promoting the Mar-a-Lago golf resort owned by President Trump. The posts were ultimately deleted following a public outcry about the use of taxpayer resources to advertise the president’s business interests, but American Oversight launched an investigation to determine how and why the posts were originally written and distributed.
American Oversight Sues for U.S. Embassy Communications About Trump Properties
Publish Date: December 17, 2019 On Tuesday, American Oversight sued the State Department for records of communications about Trump Organization properties sent by officials at U.S. embassies in a dozen countries. President Donald Trump’s real-estate business — from which he has refused to financially divest — has properties around the world, from Israel to Indonesia, and from Uruguay to the United Kingdom.
Lawsuit Seeks Records of Trump Family Influence over Minnesota Mining Project
During the early weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, the administration began working to reverse prior decisions banning new mining developments near a pristine Minnesota wilderness area, ultimately renewing leases for a Chilean mining company headed by the family of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s D.C. landlord.
Trump Nominates Another Defense-Industry Insider as Pentagon Chief
Publish Date: June 25, 2019 After the abrupt resignation of Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan last week, President Donald Trump nominated Army Secretary Mark Esper to head the Defense Department. Shanahan’s tenure was marked by serious questions about his ties to Boeing, where he had worked for more than three decades.
More Evidence of Chao’s Preferential Treatment of Kentucky-Specific Requests
As scrutiny of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s personal finances and her family’s shipping company grows, American Oversight has uncovered documents bolstering the February report on her office’s coordination with the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, her husband.
New Evidence of Emoluments Violations Prompts American Oversight Lawsuit
Publish Date: May 3, 2019 American Oversight is suing the State and Justice Departments for records related to President Donald Trump’s potential violations of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, specifically the leasing of a Trump property to multiple foreign governments.
Closing the Corruption-Breeding Loopholes the Trump Administration Has Exploited
The Trump administration’s corruption has revealed fundamental gaps and loopholes in America’s federal ethics laws. Longstanding norms and principles, to which prior administrations largely adhered, have proven ill-equipped to constrain a president and political appointees who are willing to brazenly flout them without repercussion.
FBI Headquarters Investigation: Agencies Refusing to Search for Records of Trump Interference to Protect Hotel
Publish Date: March 4, 2019 Three federal agencies appear to be stonewalling American Oversight’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump canceled a multibillion-dollar relocation project in order to benefit his own business interests.
Lying to Congress Rarely Results in Charges — Until Now. Here's How Others in Trump's Circle Could Be in Trouble - American Oversight
BY MOLLY CLAFLIN On May 6, Michael Cohen will surrender himself to a federal penitentiary after pleading guilty to lying to Congress. But before then, he is coming to Congress to testify before three congressional committees — including a public hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday — and the hope is that he’ll use this do-over opportunity to tell the truth. Lying to Congress is never a good idea.
Lawsuit: Why Did Government-Run Site Attached to Trump Hotel Stay Open During the Shutdown?
Publish Date: February 5, 2019 As trash piled up on the National Mall and parks across the country were closed to visitors, one Washington, D.C. site run by the National Park Service (NPS) was open to the public during the government shutdown: the Old Post Office Tower attached to the Trump International Hotel.
Investigating the Acting Defense Secretary’s Ties to Boeing
Publish Date: January 9, 2019 Since Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan first entered government service in the summer of 2017 as deputy secretary of defense, there have been concerns about whether his more than three decades at Boeing, where he most recently served as senior vice president, would affect his work. American Oversight began looking into Shanahan’s Boeing ties late last year, and Politico reported today that Shanahan has been promoting his former employer at the Pentagon.
Government Site Attached to Trump Hotel Stays Open Despite Shutdown and We Want to Know Why
Publish Date: January 3, 2019 As a partial government shutdown overflows the trash cans on the National Mall, American Oversight is investigating the decision to use federal funding to keep open one attraction: the Old Post Office Tower, which sits on the Trump International Hotel property in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, American Oversight submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the General Services Administration (GSA), which owns the tower, and the National Parks Service (NPS),...
Countdown to Oversight in 2019
In a year that began with the administration shutting down its “voter fraud” commission and ended with the president shutting down the government over an ill-conceived border wall, American Oversight submitted more than 1,000 Freedom of Information Act requests, filed 56 lawsuits, and published tens of thousands of pages of documents.
Betsy DeVos’ Delayed Financial Disclosures Heighten Accountability Concerns
Publish Date: December 20, 2018 (Photo: Gage Skidmore) Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ 2018 financial disclosure form, which was finally released in early December after months of delay, raises a number of questions about potential conflicts of interest and ethics compliance.
New Letters: Whitaker Disclosure Forms Raise Ethics and Hatch Act Concerns
American Oversight today called on multiple federal offices to open investigations regarding Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker’s newly released public financial disclosure forms (PFDs). On Wednesday morning, American Oversight submitted one complaint to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) alleging potential violations of the Hatch Act; and a second to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and the Department of Justice’s Ethics Office, alleging a failure to disclose.
Ivanka Trump Email Investigation Sparked by American Oversight FOIAs
FOIA requests filed by American Oversight prompted the discovery that Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Trump and a top White House advisor, used personal email to communicate with federal agencies on hundreds of occasions, the Washington Post reported on November 19, 2018. More background on American Oversight’s investigation into Ivanka Trump’s personal email use is below.
American Oversight Sues State Department for Trump Organization, Kushner Companies Records
American Oversight today filed a lawsuit against the Department of State to determine whether President Trump’s business interests have influenced agency policy. The president and his family, who have refused to divest from their businesses, have financial interests in more than 20 countries. “The president has cashed in on his office since day one, setting a tone of corruption from the top down,” said Melanie Sloan, Senior Advisor at American Oversight.
New Lawsuit Seeks Details of White House, Trump Organization Involvement in FBI Headquarters Decision
New Lawsuit Seeks Details of White House, Trump Organization Involvement in FBI Headquarters Decision American Oversight today filed a suite of lawsuits to uncover the role that President Trump and the Trump Organization played in reversing a long-time plan to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters outside of Washington, DC. In its current location at the J. Edgar Hoover building, FBI headquarters sits a block away from the Trump International Hotel.
Court Rules in Favor of American Oversight in Trump Hotel Lawsuit
On Thursday evening, May 3, 2018, the Chief Judge of the D.C. District Court ruled in favor of American Oversight and eviscerated the Trump administration’s illegal and unprecedented efforts to conceal the Trump transition team’s communications about the Trump International Hotel.
Lawsuit Seeks Scott Pruitt and Nino Perrotta Travel and Security Spending Records
Washington, DC – Nonpartisan ethics watchdog American Oversight filed a new lawsuit today seeking answers about Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, the head of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s security detail, and his involvement in justifying Pruitt’s excessive spending. The lawsuit asks the court to order EPA to release records including waivers authorizing Pruitt and Perrotta to spend taxpayer funds on first class plane tickets.
American Oversight
From first class plane tickets to a lobbyist-subsidized condo, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt seems intent on squeezing every luxury perk he can get out of his government job. Our investigations into Scott Pruitt’s mismanagement of the EPA have uncovered deep ties to energy and chemical companies, numerous meetings with industry lobbyists, and wasteful spending on pricey office upgrades. View and search our EPA and Scott Pruitt records on DocumentCloud
One Year of American Oversight
One year ago today, we launched American Oversight with a mission that was anything but simple: hold the Trump administration accountable by extracting evidence of corruption, malfeasance, or other misconduct. By highlighting the administration’s own words and documents, we let the corrupt condemn themselves. The Trump administration has exceeded even our most pessimistic expectations; everywhere we’ve looked, we have seen issues demanding urgent investigation.
Ethics Watchdog Sues HUD for Emails from Carson Family, Lynne Patton, Trump Organization
Non-partisan ethics watchdog American Oversight filed a sweeping new lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today seeking emails and other documents from HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Carson’s wife and son – both of whom have been active in department business – and senior political appointees including Lynne Patton.
Investigation Update: Defund Trump
President Trump has refused to divest himself of his business holdings since taking office, creating clear conflicts of interest and breaking decades of previous practices. American Oversight is investigating the ways in which the president and his family profit off of public service and whether or not foreign officials are using Trump properties to curry favor with the administration.
American Oversight Sues HUD for Carson Office Renovation Records
Nonpartisan ethics watchdog American Oversight today filed a lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to find out how much taxpayer money Secretary Ben Carson spent redecorating or renovating his office. According to news reports, a former HUD official was demoted and told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” after she objected to the secretary’s lavish redecoration plans.
American Oversight
In recent weeks, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson has taken criticism for allowing his son and daughter-in-law, Ben Carson Jr. and Merlynn Carson, to play inappropriate roles in agency business. Stories in The Washington Post and CNN – which relied in part on documents exposed by American Oversight – detailed how Ben Carson Jr. played a central role in the planning and execution of a listening tour in Baltimore, MD in June 2017.
Sessions, Verma, Comey, and Clinton: New FOIAs and Lawsuits Seek Answers - American Oversight
Sessions, Verma, Comey, and Clinton: New FOIAs and Lawsuits Seek Answers In the last few weeks, American Oversight filed a series of lawsuits and FOIA requests to uncover records of questionable actions in the Trump administration. The CEO of mail-order pillow company MyPillow CEO donated a significant amount of money to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee. He also appeared on the campaign trail in support of Trump a number of times.
New HUD Emails Show Secretary Ben Carson's Son Taking Role at Agency - American Oversight
Emails and other documents uncovered by American Oversight’s lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) show that Secretary Ben Carson’s son, Ben Carson Jr., has been using his influence at the agency to connect business associates with senior government officials. American Oversight launched an investigation into Secretary Carson’s management of HUD and, in particular, the role that his family has played at the agency.
American Oversight Sues GSA Over Changes to MyPillow Contract
American Oversight Sues GSA Over Changes to MyPillow Contract American Oversight today sued the General Services Administration (GSA) to compel the release of records related to the MyPillow contract with GSA to sell pillows to federal agencies. MyPillow, a pillow manufacturing company, has faced significant setbacks over the last few years but has seen its fortunes turn around under the Trump administration.
American Oversight Statement Regarding DOI Report on Zinke Travel
A report today in the Washington Post indicates that the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General has found that poor record keeping by Secretary Zinke has hampered their ongoing investigation into multiple facets of his travel, including his mixing of political events with government business, as well as the frequent presence of his wife, Lola Zinke, on official trips.
New Emails: Ivanka Trump Continued Using Personal Account in White House
New Emails: Ivanka Trump Continued Using Personal Account in White House Emails obtained by American Oversight via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Treasury Department show that Ivanka Trump continued to use a personal account to send and receive emails related to government work even after joining the White House staff in late March.
American Oversight Calls for Investigation of Payments Made to Trump Organization
Non-partisan watchdog group American Oversight today called on federal, Florida and New York State law enforcement officials and prosecutors to investigate whether domestic and foreign interests have used Trump properties, including the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, and the Trump National Doral as conduits to bribe the Trump administration to pursue favorable policies and award contracts.
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