"The Interior Department withheld publicly disclosing several hundred pages involving then-Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt prior to his secretarial confirmation hearing, investigators say in a new report.

But the significance of the findings by Interior's Office of Inspector General is open to debate.

The OIG found no specific fault in Interior's actions and noted the Justice Department concluded officials "had discretion on the order in which to produce materials" in response to a federal court order in a Freedom of Information Act case.

"We concluded that the court is the proper venue to determine whether the DOI met its production obligations under its order," the OIG stated."

Michael Doyle reports for E&E News August 11, 2020. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Watchdog Report Raises New Questions For Top Interior Lawyer" (The Hill) [3]