Watchdog group sues for access to communication between two federal agencies and the daughter of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
- April 18, 2023
A watchdog group has filed complaints to enforce the Freedom of Information Act against two federal agencies — overseen by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland— so that the group can review communications between agency leaders and Haaland’s daughter.
The lawsuits, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuse the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management of not producing communications between agency officials and Somah Haaland, who is the daughter of Deb Haaland. Deb Haaland was a New Mexico congresswoman from 2019 until she was confirmed as the first Native American Cabinet secretary in March 2021.
The suits were brought by Protect the Public’s Trust, which describes itself in the suit as an unincorporated association dedicated to restoring public trust in government. The group requested the communications in early January.
An Interior Department spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuits. Efforts to reach Protect the Public’s Trust were unsuccessful.