This is David Bralow, The Intercept’s chief legal officer. I’ve been a practicing media attorney for more than three decades, and I’ve never experienced a more dangerous moment for the free press: Federal agents are arresting journalists and gunning down civilians in the streets. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and other agencies possess reams of information relevant to investigations about these incidents — from officers’ body camera footage to communications with private contractors. These are public records that we have a right to view, whether Donald Trump wants to share them or not. If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: The Trump administration can’t be trusted to investigate itself — or even to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests as required by law. Over and over again, we’ve seen federal agencies fail to produce records in a timely manner. So we’re getting ready for a FOIA blitz to make sure that information sees the light of day. But to enforce the public’s right to know, we have to be prepared to go to court. Unfortunately, it often takes months or even years to prevail in this kind of open-records litigation. Most nonprofit outlets don’t have the needed resources — and many larger corporate outlets lose interest by the time the records are produced. It’s the generosity of Intercept readers like you that enables us to not just file FOIA requests, but also follow through with the legal firepower to ensure that agencies actually hand over documents. I met with our team last week to review our existing FOIA requests and prepare for what I expect will be a series of courtroom showdowns as we investigate killings like those of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Will you donate $5 to help The Intercept pursue the truth? Thank you,
David Bralow
Chief Legal Officer
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