Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
_________________________________________
CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND :
ETHICS IN WASHINGTON :
11 Dupont Circle, N.W. :
Washington, D.C. 20036 :
:
Plaintiff, :
:
v. : No. 1:05cv00806 (RMC)
:
NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION :
1441 L Street, N.W. :
Washington, D.C. 20005 :
:
Defendant. :
_________________________________________ :
INTRODUCTION
powered lobbyist and a public relations executive to bilk millions of dollars from Indian tribes
that operate gambling casinos, plaintiff Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
(“CREW”) filed a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request with the National Indian
Gaming Commission (“NIGC”). CREW’s request sought records of any contacts between the
NIGC and 10 enumerated individuals, as well as employees and entities associated with those
individuals, and the offices of five members of Congress, all of which were associated in some
way with the Indian gaming scandal. CREW also requested records from the NIGC concerning
six specific Indian tribes. Nothing in CREW’s FOIA request referred to any law enforcement
The NIGC’s response is noteworthy in two key respects. First, despite the fact that the
NIGC is the principal agency responsible for oversight of Indian gaming under the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, 25 U.S.C. §§2701, et seq., and despite the fact that the NIGC
documents. Second, many of those documents initially withheld as protected law enforcement
The paucity of information in the NIGC’s response to CREW’s FOIA request has now
been replicated in its recently-filed motion for summary judgment.1 In that motion, the NIGC
essentially asks the Court to accept its less than bare-bones declarations as evidence that the
NIGC conducted a reasonable and adequate search, and properly withheld documents pursuant
to FOIA Exemptions 5, 6, 7(A), 7(C) and 7(D). As CREW shows below, however, the NIGC
does not begin to approach the standard of proof required of an agency in a FOIA case to justify
its search and withholdings. Accordingly, its motion for summary judgment must be denied.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
citizens to be informed about the activities of government officials and to ensuring the integrity
(hereinafter “Complaint”). In particular, CREW monitors closely the laws and rules that apply
to government agencies and urges the United States government to take ethics issues seriously.
Id., ¶5. CREW relies, in part, on the FOIA for information to assist it in providing the public
1
Defendant actually moved for summary judgment in the name of the United States. The
United States, however, is not a named party to this proceeding, nor could it be given that the
only proper defendant in a FOIA lawsuit is the agency alleged to have improperly withheld
agency records. 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(4)(B).
2
with full, accurate and current information. Id., ¶6.
On March 18, 2005, CREW submitted a FOIA request to the NIGC asking for “records
of any contacts between the NIGC and Jack Abramoff, any employee of the firm Greenberg
Traurig, any employee of the firm Preston Gates, Michael Scanlon, any officer or employee of
Capitol Campaign Strategies, James Dobson, Ralph Reed, Scott Reed, Italia Federici, any officer
employee of the National Center of Public Policy Research, Grover Norquist, any officer or
employee of Americans for Tax Reform, General Services Administration Chief of Staff David
Safavian, Congressman Robert Ney, any employee in the office of Congressman Ney,
Congressman Tom DeLay, any employee in the office of Congressman DeLay or in the office of
the Majority Leader, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, any employee in the office of
Congressman Hastert or in the office of the Speaker of the House, Senator Conrad Burns, and
any employee in the office of Senator Burns, concerning any matter within the jurisdiction of the
NIGC.” Exhibit N to Complaint. Plaintiff also requested records from the NIGC concerning six
Indian tribes: the Agua Caliente Tribe of Palm Springs, California, the Tigua Tribe of El Paso,
Texas, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians. Id. CREW made its
request in the interest of contributing to “the public’s understanding of the process used by the
National Indian Gaming Commission to monitor and regulate casinos on Indian lands.” Id.
CREW’s FOIA request arose out of an unfolding scandal concerning the millions of
dollars that Indian tribes operating gambling casinos had paid lobbyist Jack Abramoff and
Michael Scanlon, a public relations executive and former staffer for Congressman Tom DeLay.
3
Between 2001 and 2004, six tribes paid Abramoff and Scanlon a total of $82 million.
Complaint, ¶20. Newspapers reported that the tribes paid the pair enormous sums of money in
exchange for Abramoff’s promise to use his close connections with Republican congressional
leaders and power brokers in the conservative movement to secure legislative results favorable to
In the wake of the burgeoning scandal over these lobbying practices, the Senate held
oversight hearings that revealed, among other things, that Abramoff also paid Christian activist
Ralph Reed $4.2 million to mobilize Christian groups to work for the closure of the Tigua
Tribe’s casino, which was threatening Abramoff’s Indian gaming clients. Jack Abramoff then
convinced the Tigua Tribe to hire him and Scanlon, at a cost of $4.2 million, to persuade
Congress to pass legislation re-opening the casino. Id., ¶17, citing Oversight Hearing on
Lobbying Practices Involving Indian Tribes Before the Committee on Senate Indian Affairs,
November 17, 2004 (statement of Senator John McCain) (Exhibit D to Complaint). Of note,
neither Scanlon nor Abramoff ever disclosed to the Tigua Tribe their role in the campaign to
close the Tigua casino or the lucrative relationship between the two men. Id.
News reports also documented how Jack Abramoff used his congressional connections to
assist his Indian clients. For example, Abramoff enlisted the aid of Congressman Bob Ney (R-
OH) to assist the Tigua tribe in getting its casino re-opened. Shortly after Congressman Ney
sponsored the requested legislation, the Tigua – at Abramoff’s direction – contributed $32,000
to Rep. Ney. Id., ¶19. Abramoff also had a close personal relationship with Congressman Tom
DeLay. As part of Abramoff’s efforts to raise money for Delay’s “pet projects,”2 Abramoff’s
2
Complaint, ¶ 22, quoting Peter H. Stone, Lobbying & Law – Abramoff’s and DeLay’s
Foreign Adventures, National Journal, February 26, 2005 (Exhibit K to Complaint).
4
tribal clients contributed money to fund personal trips DeLay took with his family and top aides,
accompanied by Abramoff, including a golf trip to St. Andrews in Scotland. Id., ¶¶ 22-23.
Abramoff also enlisted the help of Grover Norquist, President of the Americans for Tax
Reform, to block efforts to tax his client, the Choctaw Tribe, on casino earnings. In response to
his request for help, a coalition of anti-tax organizations formed by Norquist lobbied lawmakers
and wrote letters opposing the proposed gambling tax. In turn Abramoff’s client, the Choctaw
Tribe, contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax
In response to CREW’s FOIA request, the NIGC sent a letter, dated March 22, 2005, that
acknowledged receipt of the request, and advised CREW that the NIGC was unable to comply
with the 20-working-day statutory time-frame for processing the request. Complaint, Exhibit O.
The NIGC did not give CREW a specific time within which it would respond. Id. A month
later, when CREW had heard nothing more from NIGC, it filed the complaint in this action.
Nearly two months after CREW made its FOIA request, and several weeks after CREW
filed its lawsuit, the NIGC responded by letter dated May 9, 2005. The NIGC stated that it had
identified a total of 14 responsive documents, 13 of which it was withholding in full under FOIA
Exemption 7(A) as law enforcement records and information. Letter of May 9, 2005, from
Regina Ann McCoy to Melanie Sloan (Exhibit A to Defendant’s Memorandum in Support of the
United States’ Motion for Summary Judgment (“NIGC Mem.”)). The NIGC released part of the
remaining document, but withheld the rest, which it described as “a draft of a bill sent to House
Speaker Hastert.” Id. The letter also advised CREW of its right to file an administrative appeal,
interpretation of CREW’s FOIA request for information on six Indian tribes as limited to “those
that indicated a connection with the stated main subjects of your search,” i.e., the previously
identified individuals and entities in CREW’s FOIA request. Letter of May 10, 2005, from
By letter dated May 19, 2005, the NIGC made an additional release of 12 pages of the
draft bill that had previously been withheld under Exemption 5. Letter of May 19, 2005, from
Regina Ann McCoy to Melanie Sloan (Exhibit C to NIGC Mem.). The NIGC also released
some additional documents previously withheld under claim of Exemption 7(A), including: (i) a
three-page newspaper article, but with the name of the individual who provided it to the NIGC
redacted pursuant to Exemptions 6 and 7(C), and (ii) 81 pages of newspaper articles, with
redactions pursuant to Exemptions 6 and 7(C). Id. In addition, the NIGC claimed new
exemptions for the remaining withheld documents, including Exemptions 6, 7(C), and 5, but
gave no explanation whatsoever, even by category, about the kinds of documents it was
continuing to withhold. Id.5 Again the NIGC’s letter ignored the fact that the matter was now in
3
In her declaration submitted in support of the NIGC’s motion for summary judgment,
Ms. McCoy claims that a day later, on May 11, 2005, she received a call from CREW’s counsel
who proceeded to “interrogate” her. Declaration of Regina Ann McCoy (“McCoy Decl.”), ¶21.
CREW does not know what is meant by this gratuitous remark, but suggests that it be withdrawn
as unprofessional and not germane to any issue before the Court.
4
In describing this letter, the NIGC is careful to point out that CREW did not respond to
Ms. McCoy’s interpretation of CREW’s FOIA request. NIGC Mem., p. 4 n.1. But what the
NIGC ignores is that the parties were already in litigation.
5
Ms. McCoy’s declaration summarizes her findings as of the date of her May 19, 2005
letter. McCoy Decl., ¶22. Of note, none of the details she now offers about the withheld
documents was included in her letter of May 19.
6
litigation, and advised CREW of its right to administratively appeal NIGC’s withholding
decision. Id.
STATUTORY BACKGROUND
The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552, is a mandatory disclosure statute that
requires federal agencies to release requested agency records to the public upon a request made
by any person, unless one or more of nine statutory exemptions apply. The FOIA was enacted to
“pierce the veil of administrative secrecy and to open agency action to the light of public
scrutiny.” Department of the Air Force v. Rose, 425 U.S. 352, 361 (1976) (quoting Rose, 495
F.2d 261, 263 (2d Cir. 1974)). The FOIA allows citizens to know “what the government is up
to,” United States Dep’t of Justice v. Reporters Comm. for Freedom of the Press, 489 U.S. 749,
773 (1989), reh’g denied, No. 02-409, 2004 WL 108633 (U.S. May 17, 2004), and acts as a
check against corruption by holding the government accountable to those it governs. NLRB v.
Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., 437 U.S. 214, 242 (1978). The NIGC has promulgated regulations
Agency records not subject to a FOIA exemption must be disclosed upon the agency’s
receipt of a proper request. Such request must “reasonably describe” the records sought, 5
U.S.C. §552(a)(3)(A), and must be made in accordance with the agency’s published FOIA
The agency must respond to a properly submitted FOIA request within 20 working days
by at least notifying the requester of the agency’s determination whether or not to disclose the
requested document(s), and of the requester’s right to appeal the agency determination to the
agency head. 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(6)(A)(i). An agency may delay its response to a FOIA request in
7
“unusual circumstances,” but must provide notice and “the date on which a determination is
within 20 working days, notifying the requester of its determination to either release the
An agency’s failure to comply with the time limits for either processing the initial request
seek judicial relief, without availing itself of the administrative appeal process. See, e.g.,
Spannaus v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 824 F.2d 52, 58, 262 U.S. App D.C.325, 331 (D.C. Cir. 1987).
Upon receipt of a FOIA complaint, the district court has jurisdiction to “enjoin the agency from
withholding agency records and to order the production of any agency records improperly
withheld from the complainant.” 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(4)(B). In a FOIA action, the agency bears
the burden of justifying its failure to disclose the requested documents. Id.
ARGUMENT
Upon receipt of a properly submitted FOIA request, an agency must conduct a search that
is “reasonably calculated to uncover all relevant documents.” Weisberg v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice,
705 F.2d 1344, 1351, 227 U.S.App.D.C. 253, 260 (D.C. Cir. 1983); see also Truitt v. Dep’t of
State, 897 F.2d 540, 542, 283 U.S App.D.C. 86, 88 (D.C. Cir. 1990). The reasonableness of an
agency’s search depends, in part, on the scope of the FOIA request and the requester’s description
of the records sought. See, e.g., 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(3)(A) (requiring that a FOIA request
8
“reasonably describe[]” the records sought). Moreover, as the Department of Justice’s Office of
Information and Privacy has counseled government agencies, FOIA requests should be
interpreted “‘liberally’ when determining which records are responsive.” FOIA Update, Vol.
XVI, No. 2 at 3, quoting Nation Magazine v. U.S. Customs Serv., 71 F.3d 885, 890, 315
The responding agency bears the burden of proving the adequacy of its search. See, e.g.,
Patterson v. IRS, 56 F.3d 832, 840 (7th Cir. 1995); Maynard v. CIA, 986 F.2d 547, 560 (1st Cir.
1993). The agency carries this burden through the submission of “detailed, nonconclusory
affidavits.” Weisberg v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 745 F.2d 1476, 1485, 240 U.S.App.D.C. 339, 348
(D.C. Cir. 1984); see also Oglesby v. Dep’t of the Army, 920 F.2d 57, 68, 287 U.S.App.D.C. 126,
137 (D.C. Cir. 1990). Toward that end, agency declarations will be deemed inadequate if they do
not identify what files were searched, what search terms were used, and do not show that the
search method was “reasonably calculated to uncover all relevant documents.” Id. It is also
necessary that the agency declaration “aver[] that all files likely to contain responsive materials . .
. were searched” in order to “afford a FOIA requester an opportunity to challenge the adequacy of
the search and to allow the district court to determine if the search was adequate in order to grant
summary judgment.” Id. See also Iturralde v. Comptroller of Currency, 315 F.3d 311, 313-14,
354 U.S.App D.C. 230, 232-33 (D.C. Cir. 2003). If the agency declarations do not meet this
standard, summary judgment must be denied. Landmark Legal Foundation v. EPA, 272
F.Supp.2d 59, 66 (D.D.C. 2003) (“‘agency affidavits that do not denote which files were
searched, or by whom, do not reflect any systematic approach to document location . . . are
insufficient to support summary judgment.’”) (citing Weisberg, 627 F.2d at 371, 200
9
U.S.App.D.C. at 312); see also Valencia-Lucena v. U.S. Coast Guard, 180 F.3d 321, 326, 336
U.S.App.D.C. 386, 391 (D.C. Cir. 1990); Founding Church of Scientology v. Nat’l Sec. Agency,
610 F.2d 824, 837, 1997 U.S. App.D.C. 301, 318 (D.C. Cir. 1979).
When judged against these standards, the NIGC’s declaration submitted to document the
reasonableness of its search falls woefully short. All that the declaration of Regina McCoy
explains is that she sent “search taskers” to specified offices and “sorted through” “search
responses” to identify further which documents were responsive to CREW’s request. McCoy
Decl., ¶¶ 17-18. What the NIGC has failed to identify, however, is which specific files were
searched using which specific search terms. Nor has the NIGC stated whether its search was
limited to paper files, or whether it also searched electronic and other kinds of records, consistent
with its obligation under the FOIA and the scope of CREW’s FOIA request.6 At bottom, there is
simply no evidence from which the Court can determine whether the search the NIGC conducted
was “reasonably calculated to uncover all relevant documents.” Oglesby, 920 F.2d at 68, 287
U.S. App. D.C. at 137. This conclusion is underscored by the agency’s failure to affirmatively
aver that “all files likely to contain responsive materials . . . were searched.” Id.
The paucity of documents the NIGC produced further evidences the inadequacy of its
search. Notwithstanding its representations that the NIGC has “open and pending investigations .
. . into the alleged misuse of tribal revenues by certain tribes,”7 and is participating in a “multi-
6
See Exhibit N to Complaint (explaining that CREW sought all responsive documents
“regardless of format, medium, or physical characteristics,” and specifying that the request
included “electronic records, audiotapes, videotapes, and photographs”).
7
Declaration of Alan Fedman (“Fedman Decl.”), ¶5.
10
agency law enforcement investigation,”8 the NIGC identified a total of only 14 documents
responsive to CREW’s request, including numerous pages of newspaper articles. See McCoy
Decl., ¶22. Moreover, of those 14 documents, only six were identified on the agency’s Vaughn
index as from its investigative file. Given the breadth of CREW’s FOIA request, the magnitude
of what is already know publicly about the Indian gaming scandal, and the NIGC’s own
statements that it has open and pending investigations, it is simply “not credible” that the NIGC
has no other responsive records. Compare Center for Nat’l Security Studies v. U.S. Dep’t of
Justice, 215 F.Supp.2d 94, 110-111 (D.D.C. 2002), aff’d in part, rev’d in part & remanded on
other grounds, 331 F.3d 918, 356 U.S. App. D.C. 333 (D.C. Cir. 2003), cert. denied, 540 U.S.
Accordingly, on the basis of the record that the NIGC has put before this Court, its motion
for summary judgment must be denied because its conclusory argument that its “search is clearly
requesters “[a]ny reasonably segregable portion of a record.” 5 U.S.C. §552(b). See also Vaughn
v. Rosen, 484 F.2d 820, 827, 157 U.S.App.D.C. 340, 347 (D.C. Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 415 U.S.
977 (1974). Courts have interpreted this duty as requiring the agency to provide a “specific
8
McCoy Decl., ¶33.
9
NIGC Mem. at 7.
11
assurance of compliance with §55(b),”10 and requiring district courts to consider whether there
was reasonably segregable material that the agency should have released. See, e.g., Trans-Pac.
Policing Agreement v. U.S. Customs Serv., 177 F.3d 1022, 1028, 336 U.S.App.D.C. 189, 195
(D.C. Cir. 1999); Kimberlin v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 139 F.3d 944, 951, 329 U.S.App.D.C. 251,
The NIGC has failed to even aver, much less demonstrate, that it has met its affirmative
duty to release to CREW all reasonably segregable material. Instead, it has claimed blanket
exemptions for all of the withheld documents, leaving the Court no record from which it can meet
its own affirmative obligation to ensure compliance with 5 U.S.C. §552(b). On this basis alone,
compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that production . . . could
threshold matter, an agency claiming Exemption 7(A) must demonstrate that the records in
question were compiled for a law enforcement purpose. Kay v. FCC, 976 F.Supp. 23, 37 (D.D.C.
1997). This requires the withholding agency to “establish the existence of a ‘nexus between [its]
investigation . . . and one of [its] law enforcement duties.’” Id., citing Pratt v. Webster, 673 F.2d
Once the agency has met this threshold requirement, it may invoke Exemption 7(A) only
10
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 833 F.Supp. 399,
403 (S.D. N.Y. 1993).
12
upon a showing that (i) the records were compiled for a pending or prospective law enforcement
purpose, and (ii) that their release reasonably could be expected to cause some articulable harm.
See, e.g., NLRB v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., 437 U.S. at 224; Manna v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice,
51 F.3d 1158, 1164 (3d Cir. 1995). In meeting the first requirement, the D.C. Circuit has held that
the standard is more demanding for agencies that have a mixture of law enforcement and
administrative functions. Pratt v. Webster, 673 F.2d at 418-19, 218 U.S.App.D.C. at 27-28. The
second part of the two-step inquiry requires the withholding agency to demonstrate interference
with a law enforcement investigation in a “palpable, particular way.” North v. Walsh, 881 F.2d
As discussed below, the NIGC has failed to meet its burden of proof on both the threshold
requirement, and the substantive requirements for the invocation of Exemption 7(A).
A. The NIGC Has Not Demonstrated That The Withheld Records Were
Compiled For Law Enforcement Purposes.
The NIGC has failed to carry its burden of demonstrating that the withheld records were
compiled for law enforcement purposes. Based on the record the NIGC has placed before the
Court, it is not possible to ascertain with any reasonable certainty precisely what pending law
In his declaration Mr. Fedman, the Director of Enforcement for the NIGC, says both that
“[t]here are open and pending internal investigations by the NIGC into alleged misuse of tribal
revenues by certain tribes,” as well as “related federal law enforcement investigations.” Fedman
Decl., ¶5. But he fails to say whether the withheld documents are from the NIGC investigative
files, the other “related federal law enforcement” investigative files, or both. Instead, he merely
identifies the withheld documents as “consist[ing] of material that NIGC personnel have received
13
from several sources regarding alleged misuse of tribal gaming revenues and two inter-intra
agency memoranda regarding those investigations.” Id. Moreover, while he states that he shared
“our [NIGC] information” with the Indian Gaming Working Group (“IGWG”), and forwarded “the
documents to the cooperating federal law enforcement authorities within the IGWG,”11 Mr.
Fedman does not say that the unidentified “documents” were actually made a part of any ongoing
On the other hand, the declaration of Ms. McCoy, who is a FOIA officer for the NIGC and
therefore not involved directly in any NIGC investigation, claims that the withheld records were
¶33. She says nothing, however, about the NIGC’s own investigation and does not identify the
This confusion is compounded by the NIGC’s brief, which describes the underlying law
concern alleged misuse of tribal gaming revenue in violation of the IGRA [Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act] and other laws,” citing to the McCoy and Fedman declarations. NIGC Mem. at 8.
The NIGC’s brief, however, says nothing about the NIGC’s internal investigations referenced by
Ms. McCoy. Thus, the record before this Court is far from clear as to precisely which
In addition, the NIGC’s brief supplies detail concerning the nature of the investigations that
is notably lacking in both Ms. McCoy’s and Mr. Fedman’s declarations. Neither declarant
described the investigations as concerning “IGRA and other laws.” Instead, Mr. Fedman said only
11
Fedman Decl., ¶6.
14
that the NIGC’s investigations related to “misuse of tribal revenues by certain tribes,”12 and he
described the federal law enforcement investigations as “related.” Id. Ms. McCoy’s declaration is
equally unenlightening, as she echoes the language used by Mr. Fedman to describe the multi-
What neither declarant has done, however, is identify the specific federal law or laws that
are the predicate for either referenced investigation. Absent that information, it is impossible for
the Court to determine if the NIGC has established the necessary “nexus between [its]
investigation . . . and one of [its] law enforcement duties.” Pratt v. Webster, 673 F.2d at 420-21,
218 U.S.App. D.C. at 29-30. The bald statement by NIGC’s counsel that the unidentified
investigations “are clearly rationally related to the agency’s law enforcement duties,”13 cannot
substitute for the evidence the agency must offer that there is “a connection between the individual
under investigation and a possible violation of a federal law.” Kay, 976 F.Supp. at 37.14
Accordingly, because the NIGC has not met its burden of proving the records were compiled for
12
Fedman Decl., ¶5.
13
NIGC Mem. at 8.
14
Not only has the NIGC failed to demonstrate that there is a rational basis for a law
enforcement investigation, as it is required to do, but it has suggested that CREW’s factual
averments in its complaint should be construed as an “implicit concession” of a rational basis for
the NIGC’s unidentified investigation. NIGC Mem. at 8 n.3. It is the NIGC, not CREW, that
bears the burden of proof here to justify its withholdings, 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(4)(B), and it must
meet that burden with its own affirmative proof, not innuendo and implication drawn from
CREW’s averments.
15
B. The NIGC Has Not Demonstrated The Requisite Interference With Enforcement
Proceedings To Justify Its Withholdings Under Exemption 7(A).
The NIGC ‘s failure to identify the specific pending law enforcement proceeding or
proceedings to which the withheld documents relate is also fatal to its claim that the withheld
records relate to a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding, the first inquiry under
Exemption 7(A). On this basis alone, its motion for summary judgment should be denied.
The NIGC has also failed to demonstrate “by more than conclusory statements how
particular kinds of records withheld would interfere with a pending law enforcement proceeding,”
the burden it carries under Exemption 7(A). Butler v. Dep’t of the Air Force, 888 F.Supp. 174,
183 (D.D.C. 1995), aff’d 116 F.3d 941, 325 U.S.App.D.C. 320 (D.C. Cir. 1997). As the D.C.
Circuit has stressed, “[t]he significance of agency affidavits in a FOIA case cannot be
underestimated.” King v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 830 F.2d 210, 218, 265 U.S.App.D.C. 62, 70
(D.C. Cir. 1987). This is because “the agency alone possesses knowledge of the precise content of
documents withheld,”15 which “‘seriously distorts the traditional adversary nature of our legal
system’s form of dispute resolution.’” Id., quoting Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d at 824, 157 U.S.
App.D.C. at 344.
The disparity in knowledge between the NIGC and CREW16 is exacerbated here by the
inadequacy of the agency’s declarations and its one-page Vaughn index. The documents withheld
under Exemption 7(A) are described in toto as consisting of: (i) “Intra-agency communication”
(Document 1); (ii) “Spreadsheets (Document 2); (iii) “investigative material” “From investigative
15
Id.
16
The Court is as equally disadvantaged as CREW by the lack of a “controverting
illumination” of the factual predicate for the agency’s withholdings. King, supra.
16
file” (Documents 3, 5, 6); (iv) “Intra-agency communications” that contain “investigative
material” (Document 7) and “internal agency reports and sources” (Document 13); (v) “Inter-
agency communication” (Documents 8, 9); and (vi) “Fax from investigative file” (Documents 10,
As is clear from its submissions, the NIGC has failed to identify exactly what “particular
kinds of records” it has withheld. Instead, it has used generic categories that are so devoid of any
approach to Exemption 7(A) withholdings, they have still required that the agency “define the
categories functionally,” in a manner that will “allow the court to link the nature of the document
and the alleged likely interference.” Kay, 976 F.Supp. at 35, citing Bevis v. Dep’t of State, 801
F.2d 1386, 1389-90, 255 U.S.App.D.C. 347, 350-51 (D.C. Cir. 1986). This Court cannot make
that link here because the NIGC has failed to describe in any meaningful way the nature of the
withheld documents.
Indeed, this case stands in marked contrast to cases in which the courts have upheld the
adequacy of the agencies’ descriptions of documents withheld under Exemption 7(A) of the FOIA.
For example, in Kay v. FCC, the court upheld the FCC’s use of functional categories of
documents, which included the following four categories: “(1) confidential complainant/informant
exhibits to be used as part of the Show Cause/HDO proceeding; (2) attorney work product notes;
(3) notarized statements of prospective witnesses; and (4) forest service documents to be used as
potential exhibits in the Show Cause/HDO proceeding.” 976 F.Supp. at 36. Beyond these generic
descriptions, the FCC also provided the Court with more specific information that allowed the
court to link the nature of the withheld documents to interference to an ongoing investigation from
17
release of the documents. For example, the Court concluded that the category of “confidential
complainant/informant exhibits” were properly exempt because, as the FCC explained, they
activities.” Id.
In the instant case, by contrast, the Court can make no such link from the NIGC’s bare
McCoy Decl., ¶22. Nor can the Court determine any harm to an ongoing investigation if the
withheld faxes, spreadsheets, intra-agency communications, and names of the individuals who
provided newspaper articles were released, given the complete absence of any further description
that would provide the necessary link between the investigation and interference. In other words,
there is no factual predicate for the NIGC’s representations that release of the withheld documents
could cause interference with its unidentified pending investigation(s). See Campbell v.Dep’t of
HHS, 682 F.2d 256, 265-66, 221 U.S.App.D.C. 1, 10-22 (D.C. Cir. 1982) (“the government does
not meet its burden . . . through conclusory statements, unaccompanied by supporting detail”).
Moreover, because CREW is not an actual or potential target of any NIGC investigation
seeking documents as part of an effort to obtain “early discovery of the strength of the
government’s case in order to tailor [its] defense,” the Court “must conduct a more focused and
particularized review of the documentation on which the government bases its claim that the
information [CREW] seeks would interfere with the investigation.” Campbell, supra, 682 F.2d at
265, 221 U.S.App.D.C. at 10. Here, the Court cannot conduct a “particularized review” given the
dearth of detail in the NIGC’s declarations and Vaugh index with respect to the nature of the
18
This conclusion is compelled as well by the nature of CREW’s request. Unlike the vast
majority of FOIA requesters in the cases cited by the Defendant, CREW is not expressly seeking
investigative materials. Rather, its request is for documents about named individuals, entities and
tribes. See Complaint, Exhibit N. The NIGC has not explained why it could not comply with
CREW’s request without revealing the existence of, and any details about, an ongoing
investigation. Nor has it explained whether it has any pre-investigative documents and, if so, why
they cannot be disclosed to CREW, beyond the bald statement that revelation of a purported
confidential source would reveal “pre-enforcement deliberations,” McCoy Decl., ¶33, thereby
Instead, the NIGC has thrown the blanket of an “ongoing investigation” over the entirety of
its responsive documents and hidden behind generalized claims of harm without supplying the
necessary detail to justify those claims. Thus, for example, the NIGC has claimed that disclosure
of the withheld “investigative documents” would reveal “the status of the investigations.” NIGC
Mem. at 11. But it has not explained how this would happen from the revelation, for example, of
the names of individuals who supplied the NIGC with newspaper articles or the “faxes” and
“spreadsheets” it has withheld. Absent this level of detail, the Court cannot ascertain whether
Moreover, the “detail” the NIGC has provided is of no assistance. For example, Mr.
Fedman explains that release of the withheld documents would jeopardize “the anonymity of
NIGC informants and federal employees participating in the investigation because access to the
resources, fax machines, and other documents and information contained in the investigative file is
17
Moreover, the NIGC has not explained how revealing “pre-enforcement deliberations”
would cause harm to an ongoing investigation, the burden it carries under Exemption 7(A).
19
limited.” Fedman Decl., ¶8. This claim is virtually meaningless or, at best, incomprehensible.
Similarly, Mr. Fedman claims that release of intra-agency communications would reveal which
particular agencies are involved in the multi-agency investigation – information that, by itself,
“could be used to ascertain the direction of these investigations and to identify the potential
charges to be brought. Id., ¶9. But what he does not explain, and what is otherwise not at all
apparent, is how knowing simply which agencies are involved in the investigation would reveal
any detail about the direction and focus of the investigation. In any event, many of the agencies
For all of these reasons, the NIGC is not entitled to summary judgment on its Exemption
7(A) claim.
IV. THE NIGC HAS NOT MET ITS BURDEN OF DEMONSTRATING THAT
THE WITHHELD DOCUMENTS FALL WITHIN EXEMPTIONS 7(C)
AND 6.
The NIGC has also relied on Exemptions 7(C) and 6 to justify withholding: (i) the name of
investigative file” (Documents 10, 11, 12); and (iii) “source names” in “newspaper articles”
Exemption 7(C) protects personal information in law enforcement records the disclosure of
5 U.S.C. §552(b)(7)(C). The exemption is intended to protect the privacy interests that stem from
personal privacy interests beyond law enforcement files, as it authorizes the withholding of
20
information about individuals in “personnel and medical files and similar files” when its disclosure
The NIGC’s failure to identify with the requisite specificity the pending investigation(s) to
which the withheld documents relate and the nature of the withheld documents is fatal to its claim
that portions of some of the documents fall within Exemptions 6 and 7(C). This conclusion is
underscored by the fact that CREW is not expressly requesting any investigative record, nor, for
example, has it asked for the names of any federal personnel involved in any pending
investigation. Thus, based on the face of CREW’s complaint, there is no reason to assume that
providing the requested information will necessarily reveal a link between any individual and a
pending investigation.
Nor is CREW interested in learning the “[n]ames and contact information of agency
employees and sources.” McCoy Decl., ¶36. Based on the lack of any meaningful detail about the
nature of the withheld information, however, neither CREW nor this Court can be assured that
Exemptions 6 and 7(C) have been properly invoked. Indeed, the fact that the NIGC has withheld
the names of individuals who supplied the agency with newspaper articles pursuant to Exemptions
6 and 7(C), without explaining whether those articles were provided prior to or during the
investigation and the circumstances under which they were provided, heightens the concern that
the agency has not applied the exemptions with the requisite care. It is not at all evident how
revealing the names of the individuals who supplied public source newspaper articles would
invade their privacy in any way. Yet that is what the NIGC essentially asks the Court to presume,
a presumption that, standing alone, cannot substitute for the quantum of proof the NIGC must
21
Moreover, the agency’s failure to meet its burden of proof is compounded by its failure to
demonstrate that all reasonably segregable material has been released, as discussed above. That
discrete portions of documents may contain information within the scope of Exemptions 6 and
7(C) – which the NIGC has failed to demonstrate – is no justification for the agency’s blanket
For all of these reasons the NIGC’s motion for summary judgment as to its Exemption 6
The NIGC has also withheld the name of a so-called confidential informant under
Exemption 7(D), which protects from disclosure law enforcement records the release of which
“could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source . . . and, in the case
§555(b)(7)(D).
First, as discussed above, the NIGC’s failure to establish as a factual matter that the record
in question is part of a law enforcement investigation is fatal to is claim that the confidential
The NIGC’s Exemption 7(D) claim also falls short based on the slim evidentiary record it
has offered here. Ms. McCoy has claimed that Document 1 on the agency’s Vaughn Index, an
investigation” and further that, “[a]s a confidential source, the person has been given an express
22
guarantee that personal and contact information will not be disclosed to the public.” McCoy Decl.,
¶40. What she has not explained, however, is any of the context for this claimed guarantee of
confidentiality, including what is even meant by the term “this investigation,” and the timing of
any promise of confidentiality. Compare Dow Jones & Co. v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 917 F.2d 571,
575-76, 286 U.S.App.D.C. 349, 353-54 (D.C. Cir. 1990) (an agency relying on Exemption 7(D)
must demonstrate that “the information was provided in confidence at the time it was
communicated.”). Nor has she identified the source of her information, raising a question about
the validity of the claim given that Mr. Fedman, the Director of Enforcement for the NIGC, says
absolutely nothing in his declaration about a promise of confidentiality made to any source. In
short, the NIGC has failed to carry its evidentiary burden to invoke Exemption 7(D).
memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in
litigation with the agency.” 5 U.S.C. §552(b)(5). Here the NIGC has withheld portions of four
documents that it claims are within the deliberative process privilege and therefore exempt under
Exemption 5.18
demonstrate both that the communication in question is pre-decisional and that it is deliberative.
See, e.g., Vaughn v. Rosen, 523 F.2d 1136, 1143-44, 173 U.S.App.D.C. 187, 194-95 (D.C. Cir.
18
All four documents are identified as intra-agency communications (Documents 1, 8,9
and 13 on the NIGC’s Vaughn Index), two of which are defined as “inter-government
investigative communications” (Documents 8 and 9) and two others as simply “investigative
material” (Documents 1 and 13).
23
1975). To establish that the material in question is pre-decisional, the agency must establish “what
deliberative process is involved, and the role played by the documents in issue in the course of that
process.” Coastal States Gas Corp. v. Dep’t of Energy, 617 F.2d 854, 868, 199 U.S.App.D.C.272,
286 (D.C. Cir. 1980). In deciding whether a document is pre-decisional, courts will often look at
the flow of the document through the decision-making chain. Thus, a document from a
subordinate to a superior official is more likely to be pre-decisional than one from a superior to a
subordinate. Id.
The second prerequisite – that the document be deliberative – requires the agency to
distinguish between materials that are purely factual and therefore beyond the scope of Exemption
5, and materials that are deliberative matters and therefore protected from disclosure. See, e.g.,
Environmental Protection Agency v. Mink, 410 U.S. 73, 91 (1973) (Congress, in enacting
Exemption 5 of the FOIA, did not intend to “permit[] the withholding of factual material otherwise
available on discovery merely because it was placed in a memorandum with matters of law, policy,
or opinion.”).
It is impossible to determine, based on the record before the Court, whether the documents
withheld here pursuant to Exemption 5 are both pre-decisional and deliberative. The withheld
documents are described as “internal communications” that “indicate the extent of the
McCoy Decl., ¶¶ 26-27. The NIGC has failed to identify, however, “what deliberative process is
involved, and the role played by the documents in issue in the course of that process.” Coastal
States Gas Corp. v. Dep’t of Energy, 617 F.2d at 868, 199 U.S.App.D.C. at 286.
Nor has the NIGC established that the withheld documents contain exclusively deliberative
24
material, a prerequisite to claiming protection under Exemption 5. In this regard, the NIGC’s
failure to meet its duty to disclose reasonably segregable material (discussed above) increases the
likelihood that it has also failed to segregate for release purely factual material.
Finally, the NIGC has failed to explain how disclosure of the withheld material would
cause harm to the agency’s deliberative processes, beyond the conclusory statement that it would
“hinder . . . the government’s deliberative process.” McCoy Dec. at ¶27. In the absence of an
CONCLUSION
The NIGC has failed to meet its burden of proving under the Freedom of Information Act
that it conducted a reasonable search, that it released all reasonably segregable material, and that
the documents it withheld are properly within the scope of Exemptions 5, 6, 7(A), 7(C), and 7(D).
For the foregoing reasons, its motion for summary judgment must be denied.
Respectfully submitted,
__/s/_________________________
Anne L. Weismann
(D.C. Bar No. 298190)
Melanie Sloan
(D.C. Bar No. 434584)
Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington
11 Dupont Circle, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 588-5565
Fax: (202) 588-5020
25
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
_________________________________________
CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND :
ETHICS IN WASHINGTON :
11 Dupont Circle, N.W. :
Washington, D.C. 20036 :
:
Plaintiff, :
:
v. : No. 1:05cv00806 (RMC)
:
NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION :
1441 L Street, N.W. :
Washington, D.C. 20005 :
:
Defendant. :
_________________________________________ :
Pursuant to LcvR 7(h), Plaintiff Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
1. Plaintiff admits that on March 18, 2005, it requested documents from the NIGC under
the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), and refers the Court to that request for a full and
2. Plaintiff admits that in its letter of March 22, 2005, the NIGC acknowledged receipt of
CREW’s FOIA request and advised CREW that the NIGC was unable to comply with the 20-
working-day statutory time-frame for processing the request, and refers the Court to that letter
3. Plaintiff admits that by letter dated May 9, 2005, the NIGC responded to plaintiff’s
request by withholding 13 documents in toto and the attachment to a 14th document, and refers
the Court to that letter for a full and complete statement of its contents.
4. Plaintiff admits that by letter dated May 10, 2005, the NIGC advised CREW of how
the NIGC was interpreting part of CREW’s FOIA request, and refers the Court to that letter for a
5. This paragraph is a characterization of the NIGC’s letter of May 20, 2005, which
speaks for itself. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC advised CREW of its appeal rights, and denies
that the statements in this paragraph are material to this litigation, given that Plaintiff had
properly filed its lawsuit at the time the NIGC sent its May 20, 2005 letter.
6. This paragraph is a characterization of the NIGC’s letter of May 19, 2005, which
speaks for itself. Plaintiff admits that in its letter of May 19, 2005, the NIGC released 81 pages
of newspaper articles that had been withheld previously pursuant to Exemption 7(A) and also
admits that the NIGC asserted additional exemptions over the remaining withheld documents.
7. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC has withheld in full 178 pages of documents. The
remainder of this paragraph is not material to this litigation, in which Plaintiff is not challenging
8. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC has asserted Exemptions 5, 6, 7(A), 7(C) and 7(D) over
the withheld documents and refers the Court to the NIGC’s Vaughn Index for a full and
9. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC has claimed Exemption 7(A) with regard to all of the
withheld documents but denies, based on the referenced paragraph of the McCoy Declaration,
that the NIGC has established whether it is asserting Exemption 7(A) over the entirety of all of
the withheld documents, with the exception of 12 pages of redacted source information in
2
newspaper articles, or over portions of at least some of the withheld documents.
10. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration at ¶33 states that “t[he withheld records
were compiled as part of an ongoing multi-agency law enforcement investigation regarding the
alleged misuse of tribal revenues by certain tribes,” but denies that this is true as to “all” of the
withheld documents. Plaintiff further denies that the NIGC has established that the withheld
given the reference in Mr. Fedman’s declaration to pending NIGC investigations and the failure
11. This paragraph is a characterization of Mr. Fedman’s Declaration, which speaks for
itself. Plaintiff denies that Mr. Fedman’s Declaration states that “[d]isclosure of the withheld
cooperation in future investigations, and under mine the ongoing investigation.” See Fedman
Decl., ¶ 7 (“[d]isclosure of the submissions from our informants would interfere with and
possibly destroy our access to pertinent information and materials . . . If current informants are
exposed, future potential informants might be deterred from providing the NIGC with critical
seriously interfere with and seriously undermine the federal investigation.” (emphasis added).
Plaintiff disputes that the NIGC has properly demonstrated that disclosure of the withheld
documents would harm an ongoing investigation, given the level of vagueness, generality, and
12. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC is claiming Exemptions 6 and 7(C) with regard to
3
13. Plaintiff denies that the information withheld pursuant to Exemptions 6 and 7(C) is
McCoy Decl., ¶¶ 29, 36-38 (describing withheld information as “identities and contact
14. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration states that “[e]xposure of the names of
who is involved in NIGC investigations and the extent of the involvement would cause great
private harm to the individuals,” McCoy Decl. at ¶29, and further that “exposure of contact
information for law enforcement employees and their informants could give rise to personal
safety concerns,” id. at ¶30. Plaintiff disputes that the NIGC has adequately demonstrated that
exposure of the individuals involved in or associated with the investigations would cause great
private harm to the individuals and could lead to personal safety concerns, as the evidence NIGC
has put before the Court consists of conclusory statements lacking the requisite specificity to
15. Plaintiff admits that the NIGC is claiming Exemption 5 with regard to four of the
withheld documents, but denies that the NIGC has established that it is claiming Exemption 5 for
16. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration describes the four documents withheld
communications between NIGC personnel and members of other federal agencies.” McCoy
Decl., ¶26.
17. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration contains this description of the
4
18. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration at ¶27 contains the language cited in this
paragraph, but disputes that the NIGC has adequately demonstrated that exposure of the
which the NIGC has failed to establish, as well as the government’s deliberative process.
Plaintiff also disputes that protecting the identification of federal employees working on an
23.1 Plaintiff admits that the NIGC has claimed Exemption 7(D) for at least a portion of
one document, but denies that the NIGC has adequately specified which portion or portions of
24. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration contains this description, but does not
admit its accuracy given the failure of Mr. Fedman, the Director of Enforcement for the NIGC,
25. Plaintiff admits that the McCoy Declaration states that “t]he agency will lose
valuable information if people are afraid to come forward as confidential sources for fear of
1
Defendant’s Statement of Material Facts Not in Dispute does not contain paragraphs 19-
22, but jumps from paragraph 18 to paragraph 23.
5
future disclosure and the harassment and retaliation that may result from such exposure”
(McCoy Decl., ¶41), but denies that the NIGC has met the requirements here for invoking
Exemption 7(D).
Respectfully submitted,
___/s/________________________
Anne L. Weismann
(D.C. Bar No. 298190)
Melanie Sloan
(D.C. Bar No. 434584)
Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington
11 Dupont Circle, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 588-5565
Fax: (202) 588-5020