What Is The DC Government Trying To Hide In The Archives Building?

Josh Fatzick

It’s no secret that the District of Columbia Archives building is in terrible shape, but what exactly is the D.C. government trying to hide in there?

Several emails obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation through a Freedom of Information Act request show the bureaucratic foot-dragging involved in keeping a reporter out of the dilapidated, old warehouse that plays home to thousands of priceless American history artifacts.

In March, TheDCNF began its quest to gain access to the D.C. Archives, and nine months later, it is still unsuccessful.

TheDCNF sent the first email requesting access to the archives on March 16. TheDCNF sent two more emails on March 17 and 18, which garnered no response.

Finally, on March 20, Bill Branch, D.C. public records administrator, responded and said TheDCNF needed to go through Mayor Muriel Bowser’s press office to gain access to the archives building.

Several attempts to contact the mayor’s press office were disregarded.

Fed up at this point, TheDCNF attempted to gain access the old-fashioned way. Again, it was unsuccessful.

These emails appear to show how, exactly, TheDCNF was given the run around.

In the first, TheDCNF asks for permission to the DC Archives.

Screenshot 2015-11-02 at 7.34.15 PM

In the second, TheDCNF receives a generic response that the email was forwarded to the D.C. Office of Secretary.

Screenshot 2015-11-02 at 7.34.31 PM

The third email is where it gets interesting. Lauren Vaughan, the secretary of the District of Columbia, emails Mike Czin, Bowser’s number one press flak, informing him of TheDCNF’s interest in visiting the archives building. The importance level of the email: high.

Screenshot 2015-11-02 at 7.34.59 PM

Czin, seemingly unaware that the archives even exist, responds by asking what TheDCNF would see in the archive building.

Screenshot 2015-11-02 at 7.35.20 PM

Bill Rice, a spokesman for the non-profit group Friends of the D.C. Archives, answered that question at a D.C. Council meeting on March 12, where he told lawmakers leaky roofs and an inadequate ventilation system have caused an untold amount of damage to artifacts and paintings in the building.

“I’ve certainly heard stories of people not getting the kind of service and access to the records there that they should,” Bill Rice told the council. “I’m a little hesitant to say this publicly, but the security is also something that should be looked at.”

In the last email of the chain, Vaughan moves to take the conversation offline, possibly to avoid a paper trail.

Screenshot 2015-11-02 at 7.36.13 PM

What did Czin and Vaughan talk about during that phone conversation? Was there even a phone conversation?

When asked about the conversation in a follow-up email, Czin completely disregarded TheDCNF’s questions and offered up a canned response.

Here is TheDCNF email:

Screenshot 2015-11-03 at 4.38.44 PM

Here is Czin’s response:

Screenshot 2015-11-03 at 4.38.55 PM

Vaughan did not respond to a request for comment.

Follow Josh on Twitter

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2015 Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Related posts

5 comments

Best universities in Africa December 23, 2023 at 7:59 pm

… [Trackback]

[…] Find More to that Topic: thelibertarianrepublic.com/what-is-the-dc-government-trying-to-hide-in-the-archives-building/ […]

ติดตั้งโซลาเซลล์ April 1, 2024 at 9:39 pm

… [Trackback]

[…] Information to that Topic: thelibertarianrepublic.com/what-is-the-dc-government-trying-to-hide-in-the-archives-building/ […]

sell drugs August 30, 2024 at 9:32 pm

… [Trackback]

[…] Here you can find 86992 more Info on that Topic: thelibertarianrepublic.com/what-is-the-dc-government-trying-to-hide-in-the-archives-building/ […]

OLE777 October 11, 2024 at 3:32 am

… [Trackback]

[…] There you will find 99517 additional Information on that Topic: thelibertarianrepublic.com/what-is-the-dc-government-trying-to-hide-in-the-archives-building/ […]

กระเบื้องปูพื้น ภายนอก November 28, 2024 at 1:04 am

… [Trackback]

[…] Find More to that Topic: thelibertarianrepublic.com/what-is-the-dc-government-trying-to-hide-in-the-archives-building/ […]

Leave a Comment