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POGO’s experts push policymakers to enact commonsense reforms that tackle waste, corruption, and abuse of power; hold those who’ve violated the public trust accountable; protect our constitutional rights; and make the government work for all people.
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Analysis
Six Americans Obama and Holder Charged Under the Espionage Act (and One Bonus Whistleblower)
Though rare, U.S. presidents have attempted to use the World War I-era Espionage Act to silence Americans from leaking information to the media for decades. It is a charge that is as controversial, as it is grave. This is the law the Nixon administration infamously invoked whe...
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Analysis
Letter: Is the Navy Trying to Keep the Camp Lejeune Investigation Secret?
POGO received a curious letter today revealing that the Department of Navy seems to be putting pressure on another government agency to stymie its release of information related to the water contamination scandal at Camp Lejeune.
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Analysis
Two Former Watchdogs Ring in the New Year on the Other Side of the Revolving Door
Welcome to another episode of "As the Washington Revolving Door Turns." The two latest ex-government officials to land jobs with private companies formerly served as very high-profile watchdogs of those companies.
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Analysis
Destructive Destroyer Decisions
"The U.S. Navy destroyer program is at a crossroads," according to an Aviation Week Intelligence Network investigation by Mike Fabey.
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Analysis
Lawrence Lessig Makes the Case for Bipartisan Reform to Achieve Less Corrupt Democracy that Advances the Public Interest
Lessig is focused like a laser beam on the challenge of finding common cause—that transcends party or ideology—around the urgent need to liberate Congress from the thrall of lobbyist cash.
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Analysis
Today’s Military: The Most Top-Heavy Force in U.S. History
After Thanksgiving, waistlines aren't the only things that are bloated--the Pentagon's top ranks are fattening at an alarming rate.
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Analysis
New Public Registry Aims to End Controlled Unclassified Information Chaos; DoD Drags Heels
The government has a long history of using pseudo-classification to control information that is unclassified, but still sensitive, and therefore concealed from public release.
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Analysis
Is the Federal Suspension and Debarment System Broken?
Is the federal suspension and debarment system broken? The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) attempted to answer that question yesterday.
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Analysis
Justice Department Records Show Dramatic Rise in FARA Enforcement
Over the past few years, the Justice Department has dramatically ramped up its enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), according to new records obtained by POGO under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The records provide hard evidence in support of what...
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Analysis
98 Percent of Former Military Officers Drop Out of Pentagon Program after Financial Disclosure
Since Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the Pentagon to require "senior mentors" to file public financial disclosure documents, 98 percent of the retired senior officers from the Navy, Marines and three special combatant commands have left the program, according...
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Analysis
Osprey Odyssey: Rep Jones’ Ten-Year Quest to Clear the Names of Two Marine Corps Pilots
In the spring of 2000, an MV-22 Osprey carrying 19 Marines crashed in the desert of Arizona during a nighttime training exercise, killing everyone on board. After the Marine Corps hastily announced that the crash was the result of human error, the news made the usual media rou...
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Analysis
Did Your FOIA Request Really Not Exist--Or is That Just What the DOJ Told You?
The Department of Justice (DOJ) came to its senses on Thursday and scrapped a controversial proposal that would model the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the first rule of Fight Club. Then it backpedaled by saying it has actually been misleading FOIA requesters about the ...