Amid allegations that he violated federal law, The Washington Free Beacon joined various other organizations in filing FOIA requests for Senator Feingold’s correspondence – the first of which was filed 20 months ago. After an initial denial and a subsequent appeal, the State Department granted expedition.
While today’s news is a welcome development, Senator Feingold’s refusal to release his travel records and expenses unfortunately remains unchanged.
If the Freedom of Information Act is, as Senator Feingold once declared, "an essential piece of legislation for our democracy," why won’t he take these next steps before Election Day?
In case you missed it, read more from The Washington Free Beacon:
State Department Will Expedite Feingold Documents Following Appeal
The Washington Free Beacon
By Joe Schoffstall
September 30, 2016
The Washington Free Beacon has been granted expedition on Russ Feingold’s correspondence during his time at the State Department after an initial denial and following an appeal.
Feingold, the former Democratic senator who is seeking to regain his old seat in Wisconsin, has been accused of violating federal law by discussing his intent to run against Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) while serving as a special envoy at the State Department between 2013 and 2015. The Hatch Act, which prohibits government officials from engaging in partisan politics.
The Free Beacon filed a Freedom of Information Act request on September 12 seeking any and all correspondence between Feingold and Sen. Jon Tester (D., Mont.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, along with Sens. Harry Reid (D., Nev.), Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.), and their offices. The Free Beacon also sought email correspondence between Feingold and his long-time aides Mary Irvine and Cole Leystra.
The State Department granted the request but denied expedited processing, claiming a “compelling need” had not been established. Following an appeal, the State Department granted expedition. It is not yet known when the documents will be released, although the Free Beacon argued in its appeal that Wisconsin voters have a right to know whether Feingold violated the Hatch Act before the November elections.
The State Department announced in early September that it would not release documents from a separate but similar FOIA request filed 21 months ago until one month after the election.
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Reports from last year contradict Feingold’s claim that he waited until he left the State Department to discuss his political ambitions.
The Hill reported that Tester had spoken to Feingold about a potential challenge against Johnson in January 2015 while Feingold was still serving as a special envoy.
The Huffington Post reported that Feingold had spoken to Baldwin, Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.), Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D.), and others about a possible run while still at the State Department.
Feingold’s campaign did not return a request for comment.