How did Russian pranksters trick a top government official? What happens to documents flushed down White House toilets? The answers exist. The trick is getting the government to disclose them.

 

By law, nearly every move federal agencies make—every email, every memo, every receipt—belongs to the public. The key to gaining access is the Freedom of Information Act. It’s the tool that forces the government to open its files…though rarely without a fight.

 

From Bloomberg & No Smiling, Disclosure is a podcast about cracking open those secrets. Join FOIA reporter Jason Leopold and First Amendment attorney Matt Topic for a guided tour of explosive details, bureaucratic foibles and details that powerful people never wanted you to know. For access to episodes on Apple early and ad-free, subscribe at www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.

How did Russian pranksters trick a top government official? What happens to documents flushed down White House toilets? The answers exist. The trick is getting the government to disclose them.
&nbsp;
By law, nearly every move federal agencies make&mdash;every email, every memo, every receipt&mdash;belongs to the public. The key to gaining access is the Freedom of Information Act. It&rsquo;s the tool that forces the government to open its files&hellip;though rarely without a fight.
&nbsp;
From Bloomberg &amp; No Smiling, Disclosure is a podcast about cracking open those secrets. Join FOIA reporter Jason Leopold and First Amendment attorney Matt Topic for a guided tour of explosive details, bureaucratic foibles and details that powerful people never wanted you to know. For access to episodes on Apple early and ad-free, subscribe at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts" data-destination="rte:bind">www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts</a>.

Disclosure

Introducing: Disclosure

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One Christmas, Matt dashed off a letter to the FBI’s FOIA office: Please search your old investigation files for the name Santa Claus, he requested, and send me the first few pages you find. What a simple holiday wish taught us about one agency’s spirit of giving.

The Disclosure podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. For early and ad-free access to episodes, subscribe at www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.

One Christmas, Matt dashed off a letter to the FBI&rsquo;s FOIA office: Please search your old investigation files for the name Santa Claus, he requested, and send me the first few pages you find. What a simple holiday wish taught us about one agency&rsquo;s spirit of giving.
The Disclosure podcast is available on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disclosure/id1847986591">Apple</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3EJCObpztK6octVEsxGx2W?si=2e0338e7a11c4d2f&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=0a2757a7bd7148d6">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-disclosure-302237686/">iHeart</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. For early and ad-free access to episodes, subscribe at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.</a>

Asking the FBI to Release the Santa Files

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1cc0b62c-70b4-4f3c-8acd-b3b500430f31/transcript

Ask the US government for public records, and your request will go to a federal employee who holds the keys to what gets released and what doesn’t. Jason and Matt get a rare look inside a government Freedom of Information Act operation from Michael Sarich, who worked his way up from a FOIA post at the Bureau of Land Management to FOIA director at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this episode, they discuss weird requests, big backlogs and the latest challenges to government transparency.

For early and ad-free access to this episode on Apple, subscribe at www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.

Ask the US government for public records, and your request will go to a federal employee who holds the keys to what gets released and what doesn&rsquo;t. Jason and Matt get a rare look inside a government Freedom of Information Act operation from Michael Sarich, who worked his way up from a FOIA post at the Bureau of Land Management to FOIA director at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this episode, they discuss weird requests, big backlogs and the latest challenges to government transparency.
For early and ad-free access to this episode on Apple, subscribe at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.</a>

These Federal Officers Wield the Power of Transparency

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The new Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the government to release a trove of documents from its Jeffrey Epstein investigations – minus whatever documents the Justice Department determines need to be withheld from the public. Jason and Matt dig into the FBI’s massive review of the Epstein files earlier this year, unearth an inventory of the government’s Epstein records and explore an alternate way the files could go public -- via a long-running, under-the-radar court battle.

For early and ad-free access to this episode on Apple, subscribe at www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.

The new Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the government to release a trove of documents from its Jeffrey Epstein investigations &ndash; minus whatever documents the Justice Department determines need to be withheld from the public. Jason and Matt dig into the FBI&rsquo;s massive review of the Epstein files earlier this year, unearth an inventory of the government&rsquo;s Epstein records and explore an alternate way the files could go public -- via a long-running, under-the-radar court battle.
For early and ad-free access to this episode on Apple, subscribe at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts.</a>

What to Expect When You’re Expecting the Epstein Files

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e5bf72e4-b5d8-4d38-a7da-b3a7010f3f11/transcript

Introducing: Disclosure

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