In the runup to his execution of Net Neutrality, Trump FCC Chairbeast Ajit Pai released a video on The Daily Caller, a far-right site; as a work of comedy, it was every bit as lame as the sketch he performed for telcoms lobbyists in which he "joked" about being a shill for his former employer, Verion.
Now, the FCC has turned down public records requests related to the production of both videos, citing the infamous "b5" exemption, a catch-all get-out-of-transparency-free card that government agencies can use to block Freedom of Information requests if, in their sole judgment, the sought-after disclosures involve "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandum or letters which would be privileged in civil litigation."
JPat Brown, executive editor of public records platform MuckRock, wanted to know just what exactly they were thinking, so he filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the emails planning the project (disclosure: Motherboard files FOI requests using MuckRock's platform). In response, the FCC said it identified two pages of emails, but refused to release them because it would "foreseeably harm the staff's ability to execute its functions by freely discussing relevant matters."
The FCC Is Refusing to Release Emails About Ajit Pai's 'Harlem Shake' Video [Kaleigh Rogers/Motherboard]
