WASHINGTON (CN) - The Government Accountability Project wants the Department of State to quit stalling and release the records the watchdog group requested, including Elizabeth Cheney's correspondence with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State J. Scott Carpenter about the Foundation for the Future, a coalition formed to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa.
The plaintiff filed suit in Federal Court to enforce its Freedom of Information Act request, seeking all "memoranda, talking points, policy papers, position papers, and background points regarding the Foundation for the Future" from Jan. 1, 2005 to present.
The government allegedly acknowledged the plaintiff's May 21, 2007, request, but failed to disclose the documents within 20 working days.
The U.S. government joined European governments in 2005 to form the Foundation for the Future, whose stated mission is to "support civil society organizations in their efforts to foster democracy and freedom in the Broader Middle East and North Africa while recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of the heritage and culture of each country."
The foundation supports free trade, the rule of law, access to information, freedom of association, independent media, women's rights, opportunity for education and human rights.
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