Jason Leopold

NEW from me: Ketamine, Prostitution and Money: Here Are The Details of a Secret DEA Probe of Jeffrey Epstein 🎁bloomberg.com/news/features/…

EXCLUSIVE: EXIM/DFC don’t plan to approve $1.6 billion in financing for a Trump administration-brokered Kazakh mining project in which the president’s sons are investors amid concerns about the deal’s viability, according to people familiar w/the situation W/@JoeDeaux @Kate_OKeeffe @antoniabmassa bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

NEW episode of my podcast Disclosure is out! This week, my co-host @mvtopic & I sat down with @DavidCovucci, founder of the excellent newsletter, FOIAball, to discuss how he parlayed his experience FOIA’ing the CIA for Osama bin Laden’s porn collection into holding college sports teams/universities accountable through aggressive public records work youtu.be/mYghq4t-KBw?is=RldD… Apple/Spotify swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsGWpqLtjzL… Or wherever you listen ..

NEW FOIA FILES is out! Ok so this is interesting? Last month, I obtained a memo signed by AG Todd Blanche that was sent to all federal agencies that advised officials how they should implement Trump's EO designating English as the "official" language of the US. The memo said some agencies, such as the Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury and Education scrubbed their websites of non-English language materials. Well... last week, Blanche revised his memo and sent a new version to agencies. I obtained a copy. English is now not only the "official" language of the US, Blanche wrote, it is now the "sole official language." One thing that Blanche added that wasn't in the previous version of his memo: the DOJ will seek public comments on the English Language guidance. Blanche noted, however, that the DOJ will not respond to public comments.” You gotta read this week's FOIA Files for the full story. There's a lot more. As always, it's free! And please subscribe to get your weekly dose of never before seen documents at @business ! bloomberg.com/news/newslette…

When the SEC announced earlier this year that it had disciplined workers for golfing on the job, I had to file a FOIA request for the docs. This week on my podcast, Disclosure, my co-host Matt Topic & I pore over records about the probe. We found that a few words overheard on a golf course launched a "Caddyshack"-worthy investigation into allegations of government waste and abuse – or, in this instance, “known golf activity.” youtu.be/S9HBKcoBVF8?is=tNXt… Apple/Spotify swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsGWpqLtjzL… (or wherever you listen)

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CONGRATULATIONS to @a_fast @USAToday, winner of @FreedomofPress' inaugural Penlight Award for excellence in public records reporting! And CONGRATULATIONS to 2nd & 3rd place winner @LAJourno, @capitalandmain & @BrittanyHailer, @IlicaMahajan, @BillmanKenneson, @MarshallProj! I was honored to serve as one of the judges for this important award! #FOIA

I obtained a set of previously unreleased documents from FBI & DOJ via #FOIA about Trump's "potential destruction of presidential records" ("partial, halves, quarters, and smaller pieces"). The documents are from 2022 and were released just as Jack Smith & FBI agents are being targeted for prosecuting Trump Listen to the new episode of Disclosure!

NEW FOIA Files: A newly declassified State Department audit I obtained via #FOIA found that more than 200 programs to counter Iran-backed groups were scattered across the agency, with no clear leadership or a coordinated strategy. bloomberg.com/news/newslette…

FREE SUBSCRIPTION! Every week for the past 2.5 years I've been showcasing never before seen documents on a wide-range of subjects I have pried loose via FOIA from federal and state agencies. It's painstaking work in the public interest! I'd love to sign up more subscribers! Please consider it! bloomberg.com/account/newsle…

NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out! US Effort to Combat Iran-Backed Groups Was Disorganized, Audit Finds A newly declassified State Dept audit I obtained via #FOIA found that more than 200 programs to counter Iran-backed groups were scattered across the agency, with no clear leadership or a coordinated strategy bloomberg.com/news/newslette…

Today is the end of the FOIA fiscal year. If you're receiving a flurry of documents or responses sent to your inboxes (like I am) enjoy it while it lasts. Agencies do this (close out backlogged requests, responding to appeals) as way of trying to improve their annual FOIA stats. By tomorrow, it's back to "normal"

"Within hours of a Feb. 28 missile attack that hit an Iranian school, some Pentagon personnel knew the US was responsible, according to officials involved in an internal investigation of the incident. That probe found what the officials now describe as a cascade of preventable failures."