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Jason Leopold

@jasonleopold.bsky.social

870 Following142.2k Followers

Investigative Reporter, Bloomberg News. "FOIA terrorist." Subscribe to my newsletter, FOIA Files and my FOIA podcast, Disclosure.

Signal: JasonLeopold.666

http://swap.fm/l/O8A3zzBKsGWpqLtjzLSF
https://www.bloomberg.com/foiafiles

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@jasonleopold.bsky.socialOct 9, 2026, 7:52 PM

📰 Every week for the past 2.5 years I've been showcasing never before seen docs I have pried loose via FOIA from federal and state agencies. It's painstaking work in the public interest!

I'd love to sign up more subscribers to FOIA Files! Please consider it!

www.bloomberg.com/account/news...

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialOct 9, 2026, 5:14 PM

Please subscribe to my newsletter! It's FREE! I have a whole bunch of great documents set for future newsletters in the weeks and months ahead!
www.bloomberg.com/account/news...

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialOct 9, 2026, 5:08 PM

NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out!

A newly declassified State Dept audit I obtained via #FOIA found that more than 200 programs to counter Iran-backed groups were deeply disorganized, scattered across the agency, with no clear leadership or a coordinated strategy
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Doc says: Finding A: Department Efforts To Counter Iran-Backed Groups Were
Decentralized and Lacked Strategic Guidance
(U) OIG identified more than 200 Department efforts with direct or indirect links to countering IBGs, including work done with interagency partners. However, OIG found that the Department employed a decentralized approach to countering IGs that relied on general goals and objectives in higher level Department and national strategies-such as the NSS and JSP-to inform individual efforts to counter IBGs, rather than goals and objectives with a specific focus on countering these groups. This occurred, at least in part, because the Department did not have a Department-wide strategy to guide its counter-IBG efforts. Although officials stated that higher level Department and national strategies provided sufficient guidance, OIG determined that those strategies did not provide adequate details. Specifically, the Department's strategies did not include Foreign Affairs Manual-recommended elements, including agency roles and responsibilities, interagency coordination mechanisms, desired results, and milestones and performance indicators specific to IBGs. Moreover, the Department did not designate and authorize a bureau or office to lead the Department's collective counter-IBG efforts. As a result, counter-IBG efforts executed by the Department were not always effectively coordinated or communicated among 12 Department bureaus, 7 overseas posts, and 7 interagency partners.
Without a comprehensive strategy to counter IBGs, individual efforts lacked common direction and focus, and OIG was unable to assess whether the Department's efforts to counter IBGs
@muckrock.comOct 2, 2026, 2:36 PMReposted by @jasonleopold.bsky.social

"The use of pseudonymous email addresses by government officials can undermine transparency and could be an obstacle for anyone trying to obtain government documents. The public is often unaware a political appointee is using such an email alias," writes @jasonleopold.bsky.social.

@laurenleharper.bsky.socialOct 2, 2026, 2:46 PMReposted by @jasonleopold.bsky.social

I guess this explains why DOJ never found any of her emails in response to my FOIAs...even though they specifically asked for any and all of Bondi's DOJ email addresses. 😡 awesome stuff from @jasonleopold.bsky.social

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialOct 2, 2026, 2:32 PM

NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out!

Pam Bondi’s Secret DOJ Email Address Revealed

The former AG used an email alias during her tenure. It’s a long-standing DOJ practice that can interfere with the public’s ability to access records through the #FOIA
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

@lawyeroyer.comOct 1, 2026, 11:17 PMReposted by @jasonleopold.bsky.social

How did Ghislaine Maxwell get transferred to a minimum-security prison—and why is the government withholding the explanation? I talk with Bloomberg investigative reporter Jason Leopold about his fight for the records, and how anyone can use FOIA to demand answers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fmN...

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialSep 25, 2026, 2:38 PM

NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out! Last year, Trump issued an EO designating English as the official language of the US. A few weeks ago, Todd Blanche sent a memo to all federal agencies containing guidance on how they should prioritize English
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

A September 1 memo signed by Todd Blanche sent to federal agencies that contains guidelines on how they should implement Trump's English language executive order. It lays out how federal agencies should prioritize English and when they can continue providing services in other languages.
4
@jasonleopold.bsky.socialSep 18, 2026, 9:24 PM

HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School

Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

bloomberg.comInside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian SchoolPentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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@bloomberg.comAug 31, 2026, 9:00 PMReposted by @jasonleopold.bsky.social

A copy of Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison transfer application was released to Bloomberg News by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. But the agency redacted its justification for moving the convicted sex offender to a minimum security prison.

bloom.bgGhislaine Maxwell’s Prison Transfer Application ReleasedFOIA Files obtained a copy of the document from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The agency redacted its justification for moving the convicted sex offender to a less-restrictive minimum-security prison in Texas last year, days after she was interviewed by Todd Blanche.
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@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:30 PM

SUBSCRIBE TO FOIA FILES!!

www.bloomberg.com/foiafiles

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:29 PM

There are a couple of questions in the transfer application that ask whether a parole hearing is scheduled and if the answer is yes, then when. The responses to both questions were redacted under two separate privacy exemptions.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:28 PM

The agency also redacted a section of the application that explained whether there were any “discrepancies” in Maxwell’s security and custody levels, which could have been a factor in the decision to send her to a minimum-security facility.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:28 PM

Another section included a detailed justification for Maxwell’s transfer. One box had a small redaction that explained “past or present behavior and/or management/inmate concerns.” The BOP withheld it all, citing privacy.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:28 PM

One section shows prison officials at the Florida correctional facility included detailed information about Maxwell’s medical status; how she adjusted to her incarceration; her disciplinary history and her relationship with other prisoners.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:27 PM

The application goes on to show the formal request to transfer Maxwell to the Texas facility, followed by two separate privacy redactions indicating that additional names or other identifiable information were withheld.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:26 PM

The BOP also cited that rationale for withholding the name of the official who oversees where federal prisoners are detained and approves transfers.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:25 PM

Maxwell’s name is on the application along with the name of the federal facility in Tallahassee that was holding her. In the top far left corner, a box is completely redacted under the same potential threat to life or safety FOIA exemption.

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:25 PM

The BOP redacted the names of both individuals who signed the form under an infrequently-used FOIA exemption that says disclosure “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.”

@jasonleopold.bsky.socialAug 31, 2026, 6:22 PM

It is filled out and signed by a case manager and then approved by the BOP manager that oversees the prisoner’s housing unit before it’s sent up the chain for higher level approval.

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