PACEI
| Tracking # |
PRI-18-231 |
| Submitted | Aug. 17, 2018 |
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Communications
From: Dartunorro Clark
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
any and all documents related to the GAO's investigation into the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, hereafter referred to as PACEI.
On October 18, 2017, three Democratic U.S. Senators — Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Cory Booker of New Jersey — sent a letter to the GAO urging the agency to investigate the PACEI, saying the PACEI had ignored several requests from Congress aimed at understanding its work. The senators said the PACEI's creation and operations were "cause for serious concern."
The senators said they fear the way the PACEI is conducting its work will "prevent the public from full and transparent understanding of the PACEI's conclusions and unnecessarily diminish confidence in our democratic process." On October 25, 2017, The Government Accountability Office announced in a letter it planned to probe the PACEI's funding, internal operations and how it is protecting and sorting the tens of millions of sensitive voter files the PACEI had collected, among other areas. It stated the investigation would being five months from the date the letter was issued, which would be March 2017.
Then, on January 3, 2017, President Donald Trump terminated the PACEI.
Given the fact that this commission has drawn intense public interest over the past year, has not been forthcoming with its internal operations which initiated several lawsuits aimed at revealing its work and has been publicly excoriated by sitting members of both the U.S. House and Senate, scores of civil rights groups, state election officials and privacy groups, I believe it is in the public's interest for the GAO to release the report and the supporting material it has collected or any action plan and/or strategy it has compiled internally as a part of its investigation into the PACEI now that it has been dissolved by the President of the United States.
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,
Dartunorro Clark
From: Government Accountability Office
PRI-18-231
Mr. Dartunorro Clark
MuckRock News
Dept MR 47809
411A Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
Dear Mr. Clark:
We have received your request and are processing it in accordance with our regulations concerning the availability of GAO records to the public, contained in 4 C.F.R. Part 81. If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, please call me and reference the "PRI" case number at the top of this e-mail.
Sincerely yours,
David Lu
Audit Policy & Quality Assurance
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Tel: (202) 512-5302
Email: lud@gao.gov<mailto:lud@gao.gov>
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~WRD000
From: Government Accountability Office
PRI-18-231
Mr. Dartunorro Clark
MuckRock News
Dept MR 47809
411A Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
Dear Mr. Clark:
This email responds to your August 17, 2018, request for any and all records related to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) investigation into the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI).
As mentioned in our June 18, 2018, response to you regarding this subject, there is an ongoing engagement where GAO is currently monitoring and analyzing certain matters related to the PACEI. As stated previously, it is GAO's policy not to provide records that are part of ongoing work or other current projects. See 4 C.F.R. § 81.5(c).
Sincerely yours,
David Lu
Audit Policy & Quality Assurance
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Tel: (202) 512-5302
Email: lud@gao.gov<mailto:lud@gao.gov>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Government Accountability Office
PRI-21-100
Dear Mr. Clark:
Your attached request was referred to this office for processing and direct response to you. We are processing it in accordance with our regulations concerning the availability of GAO records to the public, contained in 4 C.F.R. Part 81. If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, please email or call me and reference the "PRI" case number at the top of this
Sincerely yours,
Stephen E. Chappell
Government Information Specialist,
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Audit Policy & Quality Assurance
441 G Street, NW, Room 5F13
Washington, DC 20548
(202) 512-2513
'It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Thomas Paine
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 17, 2018. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #PRI-18-231.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Government Accountability Office
PRI-21-100
Mr. Dartunorro Clark
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 59554
411A Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Dear Mr. Clark:
On behalf of the Chief Quality Officer, this email responds to your April 22, 2021, follow-up request for any and all records related to the Government Accountability Office's work related to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI).
Your letter refers to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552. As an agency responsible to the Congress, GAO is not subject to FOIA. However, GAO's disclosure policy follows the spirit of the act consistent with GAO's duties and functions as an agency with primary responsibility to the Congress. Attached for your information is a copy of our regulations concerning the availability of GAO records to the public, which are contained in 4 C.F.R. Part 81.
For context, please be advised that the Commission was disbanded in January 2018. In response to the Congressional request GAO received to review the Commission, GAO provided technical assistance to the congressional requesters concerning the PACEI and only provided oral briefings to the congressional requesters. Consequently, we have limited documents responsive to your request. Attached is a list of documents, along with copies of the releasable GAO records. We noted the applicable exemptions, if any for each document or portion thereof on the list of documents. Redactions were made pursuant to 4 C.F.R. § 81.6(a), which exempts from release congressional correspondence and congressional memoranda; 4 C.F.R. § 81.6(f), personnel and similar files the disclosure of which could constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; 4 C.F.R. § 81.6(j), records that are part of the deliberative process; and 4 C.F.R. § 81.6(k), records protected by the attorney-work product privilege.
With regards to publicly available documents, we have provided links to enable you to view and/or download particular documents. Additionally, with respect to the PACER documents identified on the list, the website is publicly available, however there is a charge for downloading documents.
Finally, in accordance with 4 C.F.R. § 81.4(d), further consideration of your request-to the extent that it has been denied-may be obtained by an appeal letter to the Comptroller General of the United States at 441 G Street, NW; Washington, DC 20548, setting forth the basis for your belief that the partial denial of your request is unwarranted.
Sincerely yours,
Patricia Stokes
Supervisor, Disclosure Information Specialist
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Audit Policy & Quality Assurance
441 G Street, NW, Room 5044
Washington, DC 20548
(202) 512-9951
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