Fifty years ago Congress established the position of special government employee to handle cases where an agency needed help from someone who was employed elsewhere. The position was defined as "officer or employee who is retained, designated, appointed, or employed to perform temporary duties, with or without compensation, for not more than 130 days during any period of 365 consecutive days". ProPublica decided to investigate some of these "special government employees".
The State Department was one agency they asked for information about these employees since it was common knowledge that Huma Abedin had worked part-time for State while also working for a consulting company. The State Dept. refused to provide a list of these employees because it "does not disclose employee information of this nature.” So, ProPublica filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. State's response? We “do(es) not compile lists of personnel or positions in the category of ‘special government employee,’ and creating such a list would require “extensive research” and thus the agency is not required to respond under FOIA. Then, when ProPublica said it would publish an article about State's refusal, State reopened the request, but nothing has happened.
The question becomes "What is State hiding"? Other agencies have provided such a list.
The State Department was one agency they asked for information about these employees since it was common knowledge that Huma Abedin had worked part-time for State while also working for a consulting company. The State Dept. refused to provide a list of these employees because it "does not disclose employee information of this nature.” So, ProPublica filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. State's response? We “do(es) not compile lists of personnel or positions in the category of ‘special government employee,’ and creating such a list would require “extensive research” and thus the agency is not required to respond under FOIA. Then, when ProPublica said it would publish an article about State's refusal, State reopened the request, but nothing has happened.
The question becomes "What is State hiding"? Other agencies have provided such a list.
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