September 2nd, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government filed an official of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Department of Education today related to Secretary Arne Duncan’s well publicized efforts to encourage attendance at a rally by Al Sharpton on August 28, 2010.
The FOIA asks that the Department provide copies of any records that exist in any of the following categories and that were created on or after January 1, 2010:
1. All records of communications and the communications themselves between any Department of Education official and personnel from the organization National Action Network;
2. All records of communications and the communications themselves between any Department of Education official and Rev. Al Sharpton; and
3. All records of communications and the communications themselves between any Department of Education official and any person representing Rev. Al Sharpton.
Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson said, “it is important that political appointees not use the federal career employees as their personal minions to engage in the political process on their behalf. Even the hint of politicizing the civil servant workforce should not be tolerated.”
It is a violation of federal law for political appointees to encourage career government personnel to participate in political activities. This provision has been interpreted so tightly in the past as to not allow Republican political appointees to wear neckties with elephants on them, in order to not cause career government workers to feel undue political pressure.
The FOIA asks for a response from the Department of Education within twenty days.
Attachments:
ALG FOIA Request to Department of Education, September 2nd, 2010 at http://www.getliberty.org/files/FOIA request to Dept of Ed Sharpton communications_09_02_10.pdf
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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