If Biden’s Federal Elections Takeover Is ‘Free And Fair,’ Why Are The Plans Completely Redacted?

After several executive agencies in the Biden administration were sued for refusing to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests from conservative advocacy group Citizens United over the White House’s attempt to federalize elections, the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs finally turned over its first batch of requested documents. There’s one problem: More than half of the 54-page document is Completely redacted.

“The Biden administration is the least transparent in history, and these absurd redactions are just the latest example. What are they trying to hide from the American people?” The Federalist was informed by David Bossie, President of Citizens United.

As The Federalist has previously stated reportedIn March 2021, President Joe Biden issued this statement Executive order It directed hundreds of federal agencies that they should participate in a federal takeover. It allowed federal agencies the ability to work with “nonpartisan” Third-party entities are used to register voters, but Demos is left-leaning dark money group. Publicly admitted it’s worked with federal agencies, “in close partnership with the ACLU and other allies,” to advance the aims of Biden’s directive.

This order raised alarm bells among Republicans as well as good government groups. It was reminiscent of the massive takeover of election offices in government by Democratic donors and activists in key swing states during 2020’s presidential election. Democrats were able conduct partisan get out-the-vote activities by infiltrating state and local offices. You can swing the election in then-candidate Biden’s favor. This order is a taxpayer-funded version of that effort, turning federal agencies — including those that dole out federal benefits — into voter registration hubs and partisan get-out-the-vote centers.

Citizens United wanted more information about the matter, so it filed FOIA request with the DOI to get email and text messages. The requests included the Hatch Act and executive order, which prohibits employees of the executive branch from participating in electoral activities. Citizens United filed FOIA requests with the DOI and State Department to find out more about them. sued. On Jan. 31, DOI sent its first round of documents per Citizens United’s request.

Citizens United received a 54-page PDF. It is not redacted except for logistical emails that were sent between White House staff members and heads of agency departments. The plan and implementation strategy for the “Promoting Access to Voting” executive orders themselves are completely redacted.

The Biden administration addressed a cover letter along with the documents to defend the redactions. U.S.C. § 552(b)(5), which allows agencies withhold information under the “Presidential Communications Privilege” (exists in order to ensure “the President’s ability to obtain candid and informed opinions from his advisors and to make decisions confidentially”) and the “Deliberative Process Privilege” (“protects the decision-making process of government agencies and encourages the frank exchange of ideas on legal or policy matters”).

But according to Jason Foster, president and founder of Empower Oversight, a transparency and government accountability group that frequently files FOIA requests, these redactions are a prime example of the federal government’s blatant over-redacting and censorship.

“Federal bureaucrats do everything in their