Breaking reporting and an Interior Department Inspector General’s report that found President Trump’s top Interior Solicitor Daniel Jorjani illegally withheld public documents prior to the former mega-lobbyist turned-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s Senate confirmation hearing and then perjured himself under oath. An analysis by Western Values Project details Jorjani’s perjury.
This is nothing short of a criminal act, and Trump’s political appointees need to be held accountable. Withholding public documents, filtering potentially incriminating communications, and then lying about it under oath should result in Jorjani‘s immediate removal, but that seems unlikely in President Trump’s and Secretary Bernhardt’s corrupt swamp,” said Jayson O’Neill, Western Values Project Director.
Western Values Project (WVP) first exposed the political “awareness review” policy at Interior back in March of 2019. At the center of the new policy that allowed Trump’s political appointees to review and withhold critical and potentially incriminating public documents was former key-Koch network employee Daniel Jorjani.
In June 2019, WVP and Campaign for Accountability, along with three other watchdog groups, filed a complaint with Interior’s watchdog that spurred an investigation of the political ‘awareness review’ process of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at the department.
An analysis by WVP found that numerous media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Politico, The Hill, and others, as well as watchdog organizations, were subject to the political awareness review, causing delays and, in some cases, limiting responsive public documents being released.
Background:
What is Corrupt Former Mega-Lobbyist Turned-Interior Secretary Bernhardt Trying to Hide?
Interior’s Watchdog Opens Investigation into Political Interference by Trump Appointees