{"id":10470,"date":"2018-07-13T20:05:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T20:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:33:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:33:53","slug":"epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under former Administrator Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency developed a special team to process \u201ccomplex\u201d or \u201cpolitically charged\u201d Freedom of Information Act Requests, according to portions of a June interview transcript released July 13 by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDeputy Administrator Perciasepe established this FEAT team \u2014 I can\u2019t remember what the acronym stands for at this point, but I think it\u2019s FOIA Expertise Assistance Team \u2014 in not the environmental information office but general counsel\u2019s office to help process some of the more complex, maybe even politically charged FOIA productions,\u201d said Pruitt\u2019s Chief of Staff, Ryan Jackson, in the June 29 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The transcripts were released as part of a public letter Cummings sent to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., requesting that Gowdy subpoena the EPA for documents on the agency\u2019s FOIA policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/federal-oversight\/2018\/07\/09\/the-downfall-of-scott-pruitt-a-timeline\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-991737600.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The downfall of Scott Pruitt: a timeline<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Here\u2019s a timeline of some of the most shocking incidents and high-profile activities over the course of his tenure.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the interview Jackson characterized a FOIA request submitted by the Sierra Club for email communications between senior EPA officials and outside entities as an example of a \u201cpolitically charged\u201d request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was no reason for it. There was no topic. It was just a fishing expedition. And so when I say it\u2019s politically charged, there\u2019s no real FOIA, you know, Freedom of Information Act reason for it; it is just simply submitted to us to see what we will produce,\u201d said Jackson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a huge legitimate public interest, but I think it is really important at the same time to specify what you are interested in, because FOIA is not meant to allow open ended requests and to be as if, you know, the requester is a fly on the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is not unusual for journalists and various interested organizations to regularly file open-ended FOIA requests to uncover communications with agency leadership and documents on undisclosed government actions. These requests have in the past received responses. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2015\/03\/10\/new-foia-training-targets-everyday-employee\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635615859355423653-pustay-dojjpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">New FOIA training targets &#8216;everyday employee&#8217;<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A new suite of training tools will apply to anyone, not just FOIA professionals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Sierra Club, however, has made no secret of its opposition to many Trump administration policies. The organization took the EPA to court in early 2018 over the agency\u2019s lack of response to FOIA requests filed in June and October of 2017. The suit ultimately led to the release of thousands of EPA documents that shed light on many questionable actions Pruitt had taken as administrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scrutiny over those activities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/leadership\/2018\/07\/05\/scandal-plagued-epa-administrator-pruitt-resigns\/\" target=_blank>ultimately led to Pruitt\u2019s resignation<\/a> July 5, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency has also allowed political appointees to review requests and responses in the FOIA process, according to the interview transcripts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInformation recently obtained by the Committee confirms that EPA is using a process in which political appointees review FOIA requests and hand-select requests to be processed by a different team if they are complex or \u2018politically charged.\u2019 Responses to FOIAs are at times deliberately delayed, and political appointees review responses to FOIA requests before they are released,\u201d Cummings wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPA has also been criticized for its \u201cfirst in, first out\u201d policy that prioritizes requests sent during the Obama administration, thereby delaying requests concerning current practices at the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is the case that the 10 years of FOIA requests that were in a state of \u2026 I think they were not being responded to at all, some are cleared out. And then we move forward with the request that we receive in the order in which we received them,\u201d said Jackson, adding that some program office without a backlog may be able to respond to requests immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his letter, Cummings called on the committee chairman to subpoena all documents relating to the ordering of FOIA requests, the prioritization process for those requests, those requests that were rejected for being not reasonably described, responses provided to requests for information from the Office of the Administrator, request reviews by political appointees and any review done by White House employees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were &#8216;politically charged.&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":30524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":38,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,106,31,33,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2853],"class_list":["post-10470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"F2QVI3GWEBAWVFJZDU5TJ4WUBI","arc_canonical_url":"\/federal-oversight\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were &#039;politically charged.&#039;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were &#039;politically charged.&#039;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jessie Bur\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jessie Bur\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 636,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Daily Brief\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Oversight\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests - Federal Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were 'politically charged.'\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/13\\\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Federal Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests - Federal Times","description":"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were 'politically charged.'","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests","og_description":"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were 'politically charged.'","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","og_site_name":"Federal Times","article_published_time":"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00","author":"Jessie Bur","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jessie Bur","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests","datePublished":"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/"},"wordCount":636,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Congress","Daily Brief","Home","Newsletters","Oversight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/","name":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests - Federal Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-13T20:05:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T04:33:53+00:00","description":"Officials at the EPA sorted Freedom of Information Act requests based on their complexity and whether they were 'politically charged.'","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/07\/13\/epa-had-special-process-for-politically-charged-foia-requests\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/","ad_zone":"congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"EPA had special process for \u2018politically charged\u2019 FOIA requests"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","name":"Federal Times","description":"Federal Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization","name":"Federal Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","caption":"Federal Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-666397664.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10470"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36590,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10470\/revisions\/36590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10470"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=10470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}