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Federal watchdog sues Pentagon for documents about white supremacy – By Nikki Wentling (Military Times) / June 9, 2023
The watchdog organization American Oversight filed two lawsuits Thursday to unearth incidents of white supremacist activity across the U.S. military during the past six years.
The suits were filed in district court against the Department of Defense, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard Bureau, as well as the state National Guards of Florida, Georgia, South Dakota and Texas. American Oversight first requested the information from the agencies and service branches in March through a Freedom of Information Act request, but was stymied, Heather Sawyer, the organization’s director, said in an email to Military Times.
“Unfortunately, the military’s consistent failure to respond to our [FOIA] requests in a timely fashion put us in a position where we needed to sue to enforce the public’s rights to documents and transparency,” Sawyer said. “The bottom line is that the American people have the right to know how their military has responded to racist and extremist incidents within its ranks.”
Regarding the lawsuits, Department of Defense spokesperson Nicole Schwegman said Friday it was inappropriate for the agency to comment on ongoing litigation.
