As mandatory social distancing forces Americans and federal
government employees to telework, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) is using coronavirus as an excuse to shut down its electronic
public records operations.

[Action]

Dear Supporter,

Judicial Watch uses the Freedom of Information Act and other open
records laws to promote transparency and uphold the rule of law. Now,
the FBI has halted its online Freedom of Information Act operations.
Our _Corruption Chronicles_ blog details the latest on this
accountability crisis:


FBI SHUTS ONLINE PUBLIC RECORDS OPERATION OVER CORONAVIRUS, ENCOURAGES
STANDARD MAIL

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As mandatory social distancing forces Americans and federal
government employees to telework, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) is using coronavirus as an excuse to shut down its electronic
public records operations. Instead, the agency that dropped the ball
on 9/11 and more than 20 terrorist attacks
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in
the U.S. since then, is encouraging the public to send requests via
standard mail. Even for a famously inefficient government with a
talent for keeping the public in the dark, this is a bit much.
Furthermore, it is a scary display of attitude and conduct by the same
bloated entity that is supposed to save us all from the new pandemic.

The bizarre move comes amid a nationwide mandate to avoid the outside
world and a maximum telework
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order
for federal government employees. Shutting its online Freedom of
Information/Privacy Act (FOIPA) operation and accepting only standard
mail makes no sense unless the law enforcement agency is simply trying
to stop the flow of public records requests. That would be unethical,
to say the least. FOIPA is a valuable tool used by Judicial Watch to
expose government corruption and it is essential that there be no
disruption in the system. Who will receive the mail with the new
requests? When will the FOIPA requests get processed if employees are
under a mandatory telework order? Judicial Watch reached out to the
FBI, but never received a response. Apparently, everyone is home
teleworking which means the requests could easily be accessed if the
FBI didn’t shut down its electronic system.

Here is the absurd message
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that greets
those wishing to obtain records from the FBI during the viral crisis:
“Due to the emerging COVID-19 situation, the FBI is not accepting
electronic Freedom of Information/Privacy Act requests or sending out
electronic responses through the eFOIPA portal at this time. You may
still submit a FOIPA request via standard mail. We apologize for this
inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.” The print is in
red, indicating a sense of urgency, and appears above the original
eFOIPA submission portal, which was designed to facilitate the process
by allowing requesters to submit and receive responses electronically.
“The eFOIPA portal’s normal operating hours are 24 hours a day
seven days a week,” according to the FBI website, which offers
simple directions on how to proceed with public records requests.
“The FBI would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation and
looks forward to receiving and responding to your request,” the
agency writes. “If you have any additional questions or experience
any issues while using the eFOIPA system, please
e-mail [email protected]
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for
assistance. To report a matter concerning national security or another
federal crime, submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov
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Sincerely,
Amelia Koehn
Public Affairs Coordinator





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