Ahead of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s Senate confirmation hearing in March 2019, political appointees blocked the public release of documents about the nominee, the agency’s internal watchdog concluded.
The finding, detailed in a seven-page report due out Tuesday, comes approximately a year after Interior’s Office of Inspector General began investigating the department’s controversial Freedom of Information Act policy, which gives political appointees the ability to review public information requests prior to their release, and in some cases withhold material altogether.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who last year made separate requests for the inspector general to expand the probe into Interior’s so-called awareness review policy, slammed the department in a joint statement Tuesday. Continue reading.
Democratic lawmakers are demanding a criminal investigation, saying political appointees “orchestrated a coverup to protect” Secretary David Bernhardt.