Government watchdog groups and reporters say political appointees have been given increased sway over Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in the Obama administration, slowing down the release of public records and introducing political pressure to the process.
Numerous federal agencies have adopted policies to review “significant” or “sensitive” FOIA requests. The White House also frequently reviews FOIA requests it claims contain executive branch materials.
The Washington Free Beacon has had one FOIA request under White House review for the past three months. The Free Beacon requested emails from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ previously secret email address concerning the Obama administration’s controversial contraception mandate in June of last year. Continue>>>
======