We are all terrified about a Trump presidency, and yet we have not even begun to understand the scope of his destruction. What we do know is that he has zero regard for transparency and honesty (unless, of course, it’s hammering on and on about emails). After all, we still haven't seen his tax returns. We also know he's already chosen people who have also exhibited absolutely zero regard for transparency.
This is particularly terrifying as he threatens to put white nationalists, climate deniers, inexperienced right-wing ideologues, and conspiracy theorists in the highest levels of government office. After all, there is a lot of data and information in government. The EPA, DOJ, HUD, FHA, BOP, as well as the dozens of other federal agencies, are home to some of the most important information in existence. Once Trump gets into office, what’s to stop his people from destroying important data that supports climate change, for example? Or destroy records about police brutality in cities where there are ongoing DOJ investigations?
This may sound far-fetched. Hopefully it is. But advocates in these spaces are genuinely worried about what will happen to some of this critical information.
We have a little more than two months left of the Obama presidency. In that very short time, we're calling on the president and the federal government to release data that can and should be public, complete outstanding FOIA requests, and ensure that sensitive and classified data remains protected under the Trump Administration.
All of us are facing an unsure future under an unstable man. He's a man that lies without hesitation. He's a man who has no comprehension of what the president actually even does. He's petty, vindictive, hateful, destructive, unhinged.
We will only be able to push back if we have access to information. Unless Obama and the current administration provides widespread access now, all of us—especially the press—will be facing an even bigger disadvantage.
In the meantime—do you have documents and data you've FOIAed in the past that might be useful to others? Tell us below.