Tag Archives | Freedom of Information Act

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Presidential Record Racketeering

Libertarian Institute, August 30, 2022 Presidential Record Racketeering by Jim Bovard  Former President Donald Trump is supposedly one of the biggest scoundrels in American history for allegedly retaining documents from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home. Trump denies wrongdoing but the Justice Department is targeting him for violating the Espionage Act and other laws. DOJ […]

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New York Post: No Sainthood for Obama or National Archives in Trump FBI Uproar

Almost all the media coverage of the FBI Trump raid has ignored the perpetual failure of the Presidential Records Act to reveal presidents’ records. https://t.co/iwQnnN3KSo — James Bovard (@JimBovard) August 15, 2022 New York Post, August 15, 2022 There’s no sainthood for Obama, National Archives in Trump FBI raid uproar By James Bovard Accusations are […]

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Trust Washington Again Since Trump is Gone? MP3

The Mises Institute produced an audio version of my piece, “The Media Wants You to Trust Washington Again Now That Trump Is Gone.” Here’s the final graph of that piece:  As I warned in a 2018 op-ed in The Hill, “Perhaps the biggest whopper in Washington nowadays is the assumption that the government and the […]

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USA Today: Supreme Court Turns FOIA Into a Fraud

USA Today, June 27, 2019 The Supreme Court rewrote FOIA into the Freedom FROM Information Act by James Bovard, Opinion columnist This Supreme Court decision doesn’t help those on food stamps. All it does is protect the interests of the federal government and business. This week the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can keep secret […]

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Podcast: The “Truth Will Out” Political Fairy Tale

“Truth will out” is the biggest political fairy tale. As an investigative journalist, I have fought federal agencies for decades to squeeze out the details of boondoggles and atrocities. Unfortunately, most government coverups succeed. But there is no such thing as retroactive self-government. As Attorney General Ramsey Clark declared in 1967, “Nothing so diminishes democracy […]

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USA Today: Inspector General Report Shows Secrecy Threatens Democracy

USA TODAY, June 15, 2018 Inspector general’s report on FBI and Clinton’s emails shows secrecy threatens democracy James Bovard, Opinion columnist The 500-page inspector general’s report released Thursday reveals how unjustified secrecy and poor decisions helped ravage the credibility of both Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the FBI. Yesterday’s Inspector General report on the FBI’s […]

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The Hill: Washington secrecy is creating a know-nothing democracy

The Hill, May 9, 2017 Washington secrecy is creating a know-nothing democracy by James Bovard Washington may be more secretive nowadays than at any time in recent decades. Federal policymakers have become accustomed to rationing what they release while citizens are assured that official secrecy makes them more secure. But American democracy cannot survive perpetual […]

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