PTF Sues Biden-Harris for Hiding Climate Documents

October 8, 2024

We are suing the Department of Justice (DOJ)over its consistent pattern of covering up documents related to its secretive Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC). This comes after more than eight months of litigation with the Department of State. We have filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking basic information about the taxpayer-funded office formally run by John Kerry. At every turn, the Biden-Harris Administration has thwarted the law and used stalling tactics to hide this information.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the “pattern and practice” lawsuit is asking a federal judge to put an end to the various stall tactics and finally compel the Biden-Harris Administration to come clean about their secret climate office.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s disregard for transparency and flouting of the rules raises serious questions,” said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director for Power The Future. “Rather than turn over basic information, they would rather stonewall until they are through the upcoming election. What type of influence peddling or green grift must be driving policies like the LNG export pause, gas stove ban, and EV mandates? We are left to wonder, since the Administration is refusing to comply with basic transparency requirements.”

We also filed a pattern and practice suit against the Environmental Protection Agency, for which DOJ and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are engaging in the precise same tactics to run out the clock. The suits can be found here and here.

Initially helmed by John Kerry, the SPEC is today led by political operative John Podesta. Podesta also serves as President Joe Biden’s senior adviser for clean energy innovation and implementation.

In February 2024, we filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, listing the State Department as the defendant, after SPEC refused to disclose the names and job titles of Kerry’s staff while similarly resisting congressional oversight related to the matter. As PTF sought further detail, State’s stonewall grew, ultimately leading to the abuses by its lawyers cited in the complaint.