USS. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy Telephone: (202) 514-3642 Washington, D.C. 20530 JAN 07 2011 Anne L. Weismann, Esq, Chief Counsel Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington 1400 Fye Street, NW, Suite 450 Washington, DC 20005-2208 Dear Ms. Weismann: This is in response to your letter dated November 23, 2010, to Attomey General Eric Holder, which was referred to this Office for response. In your letter, you expressed concern about the Department of Justice’s adherence to President Obama and Attorney General Holder's policy of transparency and accountability in its implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. Your letter provides a list of examples of the Department's actions in response to FOIA requests or in litigation cases which you posit to be inconsistent with this administration’s stated presumption in favor of disclosure. ‘The Department takes its obligations under the FOIA very seriously. The Attomey General’s FOIA Guidelines established strong standards for all agencies to follow in achieving ‘greater transpareney. I assure you that the Department's FOIA professionals fully appreciate and embrace this administration’s commitment to open government. In Fiscal Year 2009, the Department of Justice processed over 60,000 requests for information, and in doing so both decreased the number of requests where records were withheld in full, and increased the number of requests where records were released without redaction when compared to years past. This trend toward greater disclosure is itself a concrete example of improved transparency at the Depariment of Justice. Furthermore, the Office of Information Policy (OIP) has embarked on an extensive series of outreach and training sessions to assist FOIA professionals in applying the new standards. For example, this past fiscal year OIP provided approximately 59 training sessions to 2,400 FOIA professionals from across the entire Executive Branch, a significant inerease from the previous year. We also provided advice to approximately 3,000 callers who sought assistance on FOIA matters through our FOLA Counselor Service. Finally, OIP continuously issues guidance on a wide variety of FOIA-related issues in order to ensure that those applying the FOIA are doing so in the most effective and transparent manner possible. All of these examples are ways in which the Department of Justice is ensuring that the President's and Attorney General’s policies are being carried out not only at the Department, but across the government as well.-2- Many of your concerns focus on positions taken by the Department in the course of FOIA litigation. While your organization may not always agree with our litigating positions, there can bbe no question that they are taken in good faith as we strive faithfully to balance our commitment to open government with the government's legitimate need for confidentiality in appropriate circumstances, ‘Thank you for bringing your concerns to the attention of the Attorney General. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance, Sincerely, apdane Ana Poke. Se Melanie Ann Pustay Director