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The Office of Presidential Special Envoy John Kerry for Climate redacted each of the staff names and emails in emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Fox News Digital obtained documents from a government oversight agency Protect Public Trust (PPT)revealed communications between Kelly’s office and several recipients, including nearly 20 climate change groups.
PPT was only able to obtain the documents after suing Kerry’s office for not meeting the FOIA request. However, the email has all staff names and emails redacted.
John Kerry’s Office for Climate Action has rampant ties to far-left green groups
“Hiding the names of government officials who communicate with controversial outside activist groups seeking to influence government policy does not seem to serve the public interest. It seems to be the exact opposite of that,” said PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. Fox news digital.
“The State Department’s attempt to withhold the names of all employees involved in these communications goes hand in hand with the Attorney General’s declaration that ‘transparency in the operation of government is a priority of this administration,'” Chamberlain said. Quite the opposite.
“The state’s attempts to conceal the identities of the officials participating in these conversations are excessive, and they first sought to conceal the names of those whose documents we requested,” he added.
According to the document, the compilation was made under the FOIA exemption (b)(6) for “personal privacy information.”
Some redactions only cover the employee’s name and do not publish State Department emails. Other redactions cover both names and emails, making it unclear whether some of the redacted emails are official State Department emails.
FOIA redaction is done on all emails, even with harmless subject lines.
One such subject line was an email about a “financial pizza party” on March 14, 2022, where the sender asked for suggested dates to feast at home. Both sender and recipient names and emails have been redacted.
It’s unclear why Kelly’s office is redacting the names and emails of federal employees he oversees. They are all paid in taxpayer dollars.
A State Department spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to the agency’s “requestor service center,” but did not respond to questions about the email.
Editing the FOIA only raises more questions than it answers, and could hint at a controversial hiring in office that has been a distinguishing feature throughout the Biden administration.
Kelly’s office is flooded with employment from the green energy industry, including officials who previously held high-ranking positions in various global green energy agencies.
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According to a Fox News Digital review, the Secretariat has worked in the past with groups such as the United Nations Foundation, the World Resources Institute, the International Monetary Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and several other major global or green organizations. It brings together individuals who have held leadership positions. These organizations see global warming as a ‘climate crisis’ and have driven a rapid global transition away from fossil fuel dependence.
Experts argue that the rush to move away from fossil fuels will lead to higher prices and more power outages during times of high demand. A recent report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a federal watchdog, noted that much of the United States faces an increased risk of power outages.