PTF Sues Biden Administration Over John Kerry’s Secret Climate Office

February 7, 2024

We are taking a stand against the Biden Administration and taking legal action over their continued refusal to disclose public information surrounding the office of former climate czar John Kerry. The Freedom of Information lawsuit, filed in the Washington, D.C. U.S. District Court, outlines the Biden Administration’s failure to disclose the names and titles of those who work in the office.  Since he was appointed to the position three years ago and until he stepped down last month, John Kerry continually withheld this information from the public and Congress, claiming that he only reports to President Biden.

Fox News reports,

“In January, PTF filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the State Department, asking for an underacted list of Kerry’s staff. The request was made after the Boston Herald reported weeks earlier that it had obtained FOIA documents that showed a list of SPEC office staff positions and salaries but redacted the names of the individuals in those positions. According to the Boston Herald, Kerry’s staff – in positions such as “policy analysts” to “senior advisers” – are collectively paid $4.3 million per year. Some unnamed officials are paid as much as $186,680 per year, making them some of the highest-paid individuals in the federal government.”

The lack of transparency throughout Kerry’s time as climate czar is unacceptable. Power The Future Found and Executive Director Daniel Turner discusses the Freedom of Information lawsuit,

“For nearly three years, John Kerry has been jet-setting on the international climate conference circuit while sending taxpayers the bill. Today, we begin the process of teaching John Kerry and Joe Biden that they work for the taxpayers. No one should have to waste resources on litigation, but that is our only option since John Kerry thinks he can keep his office off the books. The American people are on the receiving end of countless green mandates and rules, gas stove bans and skyrocketing utility bills, with no opportunity for consent or input, and many of these decisions are hatched in John Kerry’s office. That is why it is our hope that this litigation will finally bring to light the information we deserve to know: the staff names, the office goals and budgets, the outside partnerships that peddle influence on Joe Biden’s green agenda.”

Our entire court filing against the Biden Administration can be found here.