Democracy Forward filed a suit to compel the United States Marshals Service (USMS) to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and release records of communication between the USMS and Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and the judges overseeing cases related to the January 6th insurrection.
This litigation comes after multiple FOIA requests from Democracy Forward were unanswered by USMS and the administration within the time period required by law.
The requests were filed in response to troubling reports of DOGE’s potentially inappropriate uses of USMS, including invoking threats to engage USMS when seeking access to agency buildings under questionable circumstances, Elon Musk’s private security guards being deputized by USMS, and USMS inappropriately communicating with federal judges on pending cases related to January 6th. The FOIA requests sought:
- All communications and communication logs between the Executive Office and DOGE
- All communications between DOGE and the U.S. Marshal Service, specifically regarding any potential or actual direction, request, or order for any USMS official to visit federal agencies to secure access for DOGE employees.
Timeline
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Complaint filed.
