See the latest in our investigations into the postmaster general’s calendars, the administration’s alarmist claims about voter fraud, and more.

Investigations Update: DeJoy's Calendars, Barr's False Voting Fraud Story, and Delays in Prescription Deliveries
In this email:
* Lawsuit Against USPS for Elusive DeJoy Calendars
* Delays in Mail-Order Prescription Deliveries
* Barr’s Inaccurate Ballot Fraud Claim

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Here’s a look at the investigations our team has been pursuing through records requests in the last week:

Lawsuit Against USPS for Elusive DeJoy Calendars: Yesterday, we sued ([link removed]) the Postal Service for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s calendar records. In August, USPS responded ([link removed]) to our initial request for the records by claiming ([link removed]) that DeJoy’s calendar, which is kept on a government computer and accessed by agency staff, is a personal record not subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act. Soon after, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recommended ([link removed]) that lawmakers consider a subpoena for the documents during a House Oversight
and Reform Committee hearing. (The committee later did issue ([link removed]) such a subpoena). You can read more here ([link removed]) .

Delays in Mail-Order Prescription Deliveries: DeJoy’s recent cost-cutting efforts at the Postal Service have caused major delays ([link removed]) in prescription deliveries for veterans, as 80 percent ([link removed]) of outpatient prescriptions provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs are fulfilled by mail. The delays are reportedly putting thousands of lives ([link removed]) at risk. We filed FOIA requests ([link removed]) with the VA and USPS for communications and assessments regarding prescription
delays, and for DeJoy’s ([link removed]) emails ([link removed]) with VA officials.

Trump-Signed Letter in USDA Food Packages: In July, Fox News reported ([link removed]) that Ivanka Trump intended to include a letter signed by President Donald Trump in packages of food distributed by the Agriculture Department’s Farmers to Families Food Box program ([link removed]) to those impacted by the pandemic’s economic fallout. Members of Congress later sent a letter ([link removed]) dated Aug. 14 to Secretary Sonny Perdue asking about the purpose and logistics of including such a letter. We filed FOIA requests to the USDA for communications
([link removed]) , directives ([link removed]) , and cost analyses ([link removed]) regarding the inclusion of the letters in the food boxes.

FDA Politicization and Covid-19 Treatments: In recent weeks, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn has made statements about potentially fast-tracking ([link removed]) coronavirus vaccines ([link removed]) and has stirred up controversy by having used misleading statistics to justify granting emergency authorization ([link removed]) for treatments promoted by Trump. Such decisions have raised ([link removed]) questions ([link removed]) about the agency’s potential politicization. We filed FOIA requests with the FDA for internal
([link removed]) and external ([link removed]) communications regarding coronavirus treatments.

Drug Company Contracts for Covid-19 Vaccine: Along with Accountable Pharma and Lower Drug Prices Now, we filed FOIA requests ([link removed]) with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense for any coronavirus vaccine-development contracts with pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi Pasteur. You can read more about the requests here ([link removed]) .

DHS Contracts and Communications with Marriott Hotel and Enterprise: In early July, after weeks of anti–police brutality demonstrations in Portland, Ore., the Department of Homeland Security deployed ([link removed]) federal agents to suppress the protests in the city. DHS’s aggressive handling of the protests raised ([link removed]) concerns about excessive force ([link removed]) used by federal agents, and has prompted a House Intelligence Committee investigation ([link removed]) and several
([link removed]) lawsuits ([link removed]) over potential civil rights violations. News reports indicate that federal agents were believed to have stayed ([link removed]) in a Marriott hotel and that the agency had rented ([link removed]) unmarked vans from Enterprise Holdings. We filed a FOIA request ([link removed]) with DHS for any communications or contracts with
Marriott or Enterprise.

Barr’s Inaccurate Ballot Fraud Claim: In a CNN interview earlier this month, Attorney General William Barr advocated against mail-in voting and shared a story about a Texas man who collected and falsified 1,700 ballots. But that story never actually happened ([link removed]) . When asked about the error, a Justice Department spokesperson ([link removed]) said Barr was misled by an inaccurate memo on voting fraud. We filed a FOIA request ([link removed])
with the department for the original memo that led Barr to make the false claim about the dangers of voting by mail.

Payday Lending Industry Insider Access: Last October, the Washington Post reported ([link removed]) that Mike Hodges, owner of the payday lender agency Advance Financial, told fellow payday lenders at an industry webinar that contributions to Trump’s reelection campaign could possibly be used as leverage to avoid federal industry regulations. We filed a FOIA request ([link removed]) with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for high-ranking officials’ communications with representatives of Advance Financial.
To find out more about our work, you can follow us on Twitter at @WeAreOversight ([link removed]) and @ojocorrupcion ([link removed]) , or like us on Facebook ([link removed]) . If you are able, please consider supporting our work with a contribution here ([link removed]) .

Donate to American Oversight ([link removed])
Thank you again for following our latest news. We are grateful for your support and for helping us hold the administration accountable.

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