COVID-19 FOIA impact (United States Secret Service)

Submitted on Monday, March 16, 2020 - 23:14
Submitted by user: Anonymous
Submitted values are:

Select the DHS component you wish to submit your request to: : United States
Secret Service (USSS)
Title:
First Name: Emma
Middle Initial:
Last Name: Best
Suffix:
Email Address: requests@muckrock.com
Country: United States
Address 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 90810
Address 2: 411A Highland Ave
City: Somerville
State: Massachusetts
Zip Code: 02144
Telephone Number: 617-299-1832
Fax Number:
Are you requesting records on yourself? No
If yes, you must check the perjury statement:
By initialing here you are providing your electronic signature.:
Please describe the records you are seeking as clearly and precisely as
possible:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

Records mentioning or describing any impact on the processing of FOIA
requests caused by COVID-19 AKA the Corona virus.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me
of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the
request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if
not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look
forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days,
as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Emma Best

Attachments:

https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/EmmaBest/82199/Fee20category20and20search20parameters.pdf
Upload documents directly:
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I am willing to pay fees for this request up to the amount of: $: 25
Select from the list below: A representative of the news media seeking
information as part of a news gathering effort and not for commercial use.
I request a waiver of all fees for this request.: I request a waiver of all
fees for this request.
Please provide an explanation for your request for a fee waiver:
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have
previously
written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over
100,000
readers in outlets such as Gizmodo, MuckRock, Motherboard, Property of the
People,
Unicorn Riot, and The Outline, among others. As such, as I have a reasonable
expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well
established. In
addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available
through
non-profits such as the library Internet Archive and the journalist
non-profit MuckRock,
disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to
this, a great
deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the
government itself.
As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this
particular
subject in advance.
Further, case law states that “proof of the ability to disseminate the
released information
to a broad cross- section of the public is not required.” Judicial Watch,
Inc. v. Dep’t of
Justice, 365 F.3d 1108, 1126 (D.C. Cir. 2004); see Carney v. U.S. Dep’t of
Justice, 19 F.
3d 807, 814-15 (2d Cir. 1994). Further, courts have held that "qualified
because it also
had “firm” plans to “publish a number of . . . ‘document sets’”
concerning United States
foreign and national security policy." Under this criteria, as well, I
qualify as a member of
the news media.
Additionally, courts have held that the news media status "focuses on the
nature of the
requester, not its request. The provision requires that the request be
“made by” a
representative of the news media. Id. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). A newspaper
reporter, for
example, is a representative of the news media regardless of how much
interest there is
in the story for which he or she is requesting information." As such, the
details of the
request itself are moot for the purposes of determining the appropriate fee
category.
As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting
on it and
making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.
Please select and describe in detail if you believe your request warrants
expeditious handling:
Please provide information to support your selection:

Dear Requester, Please see the attached letter regarding the status of yourFOIA/PA request.  If you have any questions in regard to this matter,please contact this office at (202) 406-6370. Thank you, Freedom of Information Act & Privacy Act Program United States Secret Service 245 Murray Lane, SW, Building T-5 Washington, DC  20223 Phone: (202) 406-6370 Fax: (2020 406-5586 Email: FOIA@USSS.DHS.GOV

All e-mail to/from this account is subject to official review and is for official use only. Action may be taken in response to any inappropriate use of the Secret Service's e-mail system. This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, law enforcement sensitive, or subject to other disclosure limitations. Such information is loaned to you and should not be further disseminated without the permission of the Secret Service. If you have received this e-mail in error, do not keep, use, disclose, or copy it; notify the sender immediately and delete it.  ­­

Dear Requester, Attached you will find the finalresponse regarding your Freedom of Information Act & Privacy Actrequest.  If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contactthis office by replying to this email or calling us at (202) 406-6370. Thank you, Freedom of Information Act &Privacy Act Program United States Secret Service 245 Murray Lane, SW, Building T-5 Washington, DC 20223 Phone: (202) 406-6370 Fax: (202) 406-5586 Email: FOIA@USSS.DHS.GOV

All e-mail to/from this account is subject to official review and is for official use only. Action may be taken in response to any inappropriate use of the Secret Service's e-mail system. This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, law enforcement sensitive, or subject to other disclosure limitations. Such information is loaned to you and should not be further disseminated without the permission of the Secret Service. If you have received this e-mail in error, do not keep, use, disclose, or copy it; notify the sender immediately and delete it.  ­­