Newsletter:
New Lawsuit Against DOGE, Turmoil at the Defense Department
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News emerged ([link removed]) this week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had shared military attack plans in yet another Signal group chat — this one with his wife, brother, personal lawyer, and others in his inner circle.

While Hegseth is rightfully in hot water for his carelessness with regard to national security, the use of autodeleting and nonofficial communication platforms for government work is a profound problem for accountability thanks to the increased likelihood of records being destroyed. That’s why we sued top Trump officials for their use of Signal, and why we filed a new lawsuit this week against DOGE for similar legal violations (more on that below).

Hegseth’s brazen use of Signal — including his reported use of an unsecured internet connection ([link removed]) in his Pentagon office so he could access Signal — is yet another indication of how widespread the use of the ephemeral messaging app is among Trump officials. Following the news, we amended our ongoing lawsuit ([link removed]) against Hegseth and other top officials, and asked the court to issue an emergency order ([link removed]) to prevent the further destruction of Signal messages that must be preserved.
* Earlier this month the Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced that it would be investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal ([link removed]) , including compliance with records retention requirements.
* We’ve also requested any emails exchanged with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was reported to have used his personal Gmail account ([link removed]) for official government business — another dodgy communication habit that has troubling record-keeping implications.

Meanwhile, chaos and infighting appear to be roiling the Pentagon. Last week, Hegseth’s former top spokesman accused him in a Politico opinion essay ([link removed]) of mismanagement, and on Thursday, his chief of staff stepped down ([link removed]) .
* Reports have surfaced ([link removed]) that the White House is considering a replacement for the embattled defense secretary. But whether Hegseth remains in his position or is replaced by another Trump loyalist, his tenure as defense secretary has demanded investigation ([link removed]) for more than his dangerously reckless use of Signal.
* We’ve submitted more than 20 Freedom of Information Act requests to the Pentagon for Hegseth’s communications with external entities or people, and we are seeking records regarding immigration detention and enforcement.

New Lawsuit Against DOGE Demands Preservation of Government Records

Following multiple reports that members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have routinely conducted official business over Signal or other ephemeral messaging platforms, this week we filed a lawsuit ([link removed]) against DOGE, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, and other top officials for systemically violating the Federal Records Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and FOIA.
* The suit ([link removed]) challenges DOGE’s use of Signal and other communication tools with auto-delete functions, as well as Google Docs ([link removed]) , to illegally bypass federal recordkeeping requirements and conceal government operations from public scrutiny.
* “This administration’s brazen use of Signal and Google Docs represents a calculated strategy to evade transparency laws and illegally destroy the public record,” our interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “Transparency and the rule of law are not optional — they are essential. No one in this administration has the right to cover their tracks by deleting records or impeding oversight.”
* The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the destruction of federal records and enforce compliance with FOIA requirements. You can read more about our investigation into the administration’s widespread use of Signal here ([link removed]) .

At the center of DOGE’s efforts to sidestep record-preservation requirements and keep its work shrouded in secrecy is its claim that it merely serves to advise and assist the president, and therefore is an entity with the Executive Office of the Presidency and not an “agency” under FOIA or the Federal Records Act.
* Whether DOGE is an “agency” may seem like a trivial technicality, but its false claims that it should only be subject to the Presidential Records Act is what DOGE is using to justify its refusal to comply with important laws meant to hold government actors accountable.

Those claims also fly in the face of reality. Its pervasive power throughout the federal government and the sheer breadth of its work — and the functions laid out in the executive orders establishing the agency — demonstrate that DOGE does far more than advise President Trump. Read our breakdown of the key reasons DOGE is an agency ([link removed]) , and why that matters for our democracy.

On the Records

Security Clearances Revoked in First Two Months of Trump’s Second Term
Records we obtained in response to requests for information about the number and level of security clearances that have been revoked or suspended since President Trump’s second term began show that the administration revoked 281 security clearances and suspended an additional 95 between Jan. 20 and March 24.
* The revoked clearances included 133 with no clearance level, 37 that were labeled “secret,” 96 ranked “top secret,” and 15 that were classified as “SCI-ICD704” for personnel with access to sensitive compartmented information.
* The suspensions applied to 19 individuals with no clearance level, 41 with “secret” clearance, one “top secret” designee, and 34 classified as “SCI-ICD704.”

We also requested records showing the number of security clearances that had been revoked or suspended at the beginning of the Biden administration. The documents do not cover that same amount of time, but they show that during the first month (Jan. 20–Feb. 20, 2021), 133 security clearances were revoked, including 111 with no clearance level, 14 labeled “secret,” four that were “top secret,” and four classified as “SCI-ICD704.” One SCI-ICD704-level clearance was suspended during that time.
* The records did not include any formal or informal guidance, recommendations, communications, talking points, or directives related to security clearance revocation or suspension policies.

Other Stories We’re Following
Trump Administration Accountability
* Trump moves to invoke Schedule F to make it easier to fire some federal workers (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Government watchdog drops inquiries into mass firings of probationary workers (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump team eyes politically connected startup to overhaul $700 billion government payments program (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Trump-connected lobbying firm Ballard Partners rakes in $14M in first quarter (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Trump raised $239 million for inauguration, more than doubling his own record (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Schiff asks the National Archives to review the Trump administration’s use of Signal (New York Times ([link removed]) )

Federal Agencies
* Rubio unveils sweeping reorganization of State Department (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* How Corey Lewandowski became Kristi Noem’s gatekeeper at DHS (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Top trade official at CBP forced out amid tariff turf wars (Politico ([link removed]) )
* 3 Adams case prosecutors resign rather than express regret to Justice Dept. (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Kash Patel once called for ending FBI director's government jet use. Now he won't reveal if he's a frequent flyer. (CBS N ([link removed]) ews ([link removed]) )
* RFK Jr. eyes reversing CDC’s Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for children (Politico ([link removed]) )
* RFK Jr.'s autism study to amass medical records of many Americans (CBS News ([link removed]) )

DOGE
* Justice Dept. agrees to let DOGE access sensitive immigration case data (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* DOGE is building a master database to surveil and track immigrants (Wired ([link removed]) )
* The ‘5 things’ emails are going by the wayside, as Musk readies his exit (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Musk stepping back from government work amid plummeting Tesla sales (Politico ([link removed]) )
* DOGE installs a former Tesla employee at the FBI (Intercept ([link removed]) )
* Interior Department gives broad powers to DOGE-tied official (The Hill ([link removed]) )
* Schumer asks for documents that prove a claim on DOGE’s website (New York Times ([link removed]) )

State and National News
* The $10M steered to Hope Florida by the state was Medicaid money, document shows (Miami Herald ([link removed]) )
* A developing political scandal in Florida has Gov. Ron DeSantis on the defensive (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Trump to be interviewed by The Atlantic's Jeffery Goldberg after Signal scandal (Axios ([link removed]) )
* GOP leader asks Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Andrew Cuomo (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Some Jan. 6 convicts pardoned by Trump are now embraced as heroes and candidates for office (Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) )

LGBTQ+ Rights
* Minnesota files preemptive lawsuit against Trump on transgender sports ban (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Pentagon to resume medical care for transgender troops (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Proposal to defund suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth would cost lives, New York advocates say (CBS News ([link removed]) )

Abortion and Reproductive Rights
* Amended bill clarifying Texas abortion laws receives Senate panel approval (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )
* A Wyoming judge suspends abortion clinic regulations while a lawsuit proceeds (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Colorado’s new law covering abortions for Medicaid recipients and public employees a ‘matter of fairness’ (Aspen Public Radio ([link removed]) )

Threats to Education
* New records reveal even more unexplained five-figure payouts to Ryan Walters’ chief of staff (KFOR ([link removed]) )
* State Education Department to withhold funds to schools not agreeing to stop DEI practices (The Oklahoman ([link removed]) )
* Draft executive order outlines plan to integrate AI into K-12 schools (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Last-minute change removes requirement for Indiana schools to teach consent in sex education (Indiana Capital Chronicle ([link removed]) )
* US college presidents unite against Trump's higher education policies (Reuters ([link removed]) )

Government Transparency & Public Records Law
* Officers who attended Trump's Jan. 6 rally petition Supreme Court to allow their anonymity in public records (CBS News ([link removed]) )
* Gov. Polis vetoes bill that would extend Colorado open records response timeline (Colorado Newsline ([link removed]) )

Immigration
* Trump says undocumented immigrants shouldn’t get trials before deportation (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* For now, Pentagon and DHS won’t recommend that Trump invoke the Insurrection Act (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Judges extend Venezuela deportation blocks, question Trump's use of wartime law (Reuters ([link removed]) )
* An immigrant held in US custody ‘simply disappeared’ (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* The immigrant families detained in Texas (New Yorker ([link removed]) )
* Florida is leading Trump’s immigration crackdown (Mother Jones ([link removed]) )
* Giant tent rises in Florida to house hundreds of detained immigrants (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* FBI arrests Wisconsin judge for obstruction of ICE agents (Axios ([link removed]) )
* Texas police are joining what could be a ‘giant ICE army’ (Texas Observer ([link removed]) )

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