There’s a bit of news in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. He’s the convicted sex offender who somehow managed to commit suicide in a New York jail last month while he was supposed to be under close watch.
My public information request about his death— has been formally denied.
Shortly after Epstein died in August, I filed a Freedom of Information request for public documents about his injuries and medical care for both the day he died and earlier, in July, when he reportedly attempted suicide.
Member of the public and press are entitled to review documents and communications generated and collected by federal agencies and officials because– we own them. However, federal agencies often delay, obstruct and resist the release of such documents.
Guidance from FOI court cases and the executive branch indicates that federal agencies are supposed to make every effort to release as much information as possible– and at least partial information if exemptions are at play.
In the case of the Epstein documents I requested, the federal Bureau of Prisons responded by stating that it is withholding all of the documents entirely.
The Bureau cites six exemptions, including that releasing the information “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of an(y) individual.”
withholding all information related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Bureau of Prisons invited me to keep refiling in the future to see if the status changes.
The FBI is said to be investigating how jail authorities missed Epstein committing the act of suicide in their custody while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges.
The letter from the Bureau of Prisons is below:
Only person to be endangered is dead, or is he? Occam’s Razor would lead one to believe that the answer is right there. Epstein is still with us somewhere. Goes with the lack of evidence and unmarked grave. Tres simpatico
Dear Ms. Attkissson,
Did someone on your staff actually read the entire statutory law applicable to 5 USC S 552? I think you should.
Refer to https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2017-title5/html/USCODE-2017-title5-partI-chap5-subchapII-sec552.htm
First of all, I believe the letter you received from the Bureau of Prisons that stated, “Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC S 552, records are withheld in full from disclosure to you under the following exemptions …” denied you in error the right to some portion of the information you requested.
The paragraph following the list of exemptions (b) 5 through (b) 7 states as follows:
“Any reasonably segregable portion of a record shall be provided to any person requesting such record after deletion of the portions which are exempt under this subsection. The amount of information deleted, and the exemption under which the deletion is made, shall be indicated on the released portion of the record, unless including that indication would harm an interest protected by the exemption in this subsection under which the deletion is made. If technically feasible, the amount of the information deleted, and the exemption under which the deletion is made, shall be indicated at the place in the record where such deletion is made.”
What the agency is required to do is provide all the relative information you requested in full and delete any portion for which the exemptions apply. In other words, they are required to give you some off the material, even if it isn’t much to go on, in my opinion.
You are correct and I made that argument to them. Unfortunately federal agencies do what they wish, often violating the law with impunity and no enforcement body doesn’t do anything about it.
Upper elite co conspirators not to be mentioned “CLINTON SHIT BAGS”. Among many other high paying individuals. The man had an eventual death sentence, they were going to get him one way or another before he could testify. They are above the law, and dont mind flaunting it.
Out the Back Door? Questioning the Death of Jeffrey Epstein
https://www.winterwatch.net/2019/08/out-the-book-door-questioning-the-death-of-jeffrey-epstein/
I’d like to see a FOI on the death of Salvatore Cincinelli as well. That report died before his head hit the dancefloor!