U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy Suite 11050 1425 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Telephone: (202) 514-3642 August 11, 2017 Mr. Austin R. Evers American Oversight 1030 15th Street NW Suite B255 Washington, DC 20005 foia@americanoversight.org Re: DOJ-2017-002914 (AG) DOJ-2017-005053 (DAG) VRB:VAV:KJK Dear Mr. Evers: This is an interim response to your Freedom of Information Act request dated and received in this Office on March 13, 2017, for records pertaining to the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions from matters relating to the 2016 presidential campaign. This response is made on behalf of the Offices of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General. Pursuant to your conversation with Kim Kochurka of this Office on June 26, 2017, and later memorialized by email, you indicated that you are also seeking records from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General since February 8, 2017. Please be advised that this portion of your request is being processed under administrative tracking number DOJ-2017-005053 (DAG). With regard to your request for records from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, we are required to advise you that the records you seek require a search in another Office, and so your request falls within “unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C. 552 § (a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). Accordingly, we have not yet completed a search to determine whether there are records within the scope of your request. The time needed to process your request will necessarily depend on the complexity of our records search and on the volume and complexity of any records located. Your request will be processed as soon as practicable. As stated in our letter of May 24, 2017, you may contact Kim Kochurka, the analyst processing your request, to discuss any aspect of it. With regard to your request for records from the Office of the Attorney General, please be advised that a search has been conducted of the Office of the Attorney General, as well as of the electronic database of the Departmental Executive Secretariat, which is the official repository of the Office of the Attorney General, and two pages were located that are responsive to your request. I have determined that this material is appropriate for release without excision, and copies are enclosed. Insomuch as this completes our processing on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General, we are closing the administrative tracking number (DOJ-2017-002914 (AG)) associated with that Office. -2For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security records from the requirements of the FOIA. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(c) (2015) (amended 2016). This response is limited to those records that are subject to the requirements of the FOIA. This is a standard notification that is given to all our requesters and should not be taken as an indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist. You may contact the analyst handing your request, Kim Kochurka, by telephone at the above number or you may write to him at the above address as well as contacting our FOIA Public Liaison, Laurie Day, for any further assistance and to discuss any aspect of your request at: 1425 New York Avenue, NW Suite 11050 Telephone: (202) 514-3642 Fax: (202) 514-1009 Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, Room 2510, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001; e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. If you are not satisfied with my response to this request on behalf of the Attorney General, you may administratively appeal by writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy, United States Department of Justice, Suite 11050, 1425 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001, or you may submit an appeal through OIP’s FOIAonline portal at https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/home. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically submitted within ninety days of the date of my response to your request. If you submit your appeal by mail, both the letter and the envelope should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” Sincerely, Vanessa R. Brinkmann Senior Counsel Enclosures Hunt, Jody (OAG) From: Hunt, Jody (OAG) Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 3:53 PM To: Boente, Dana Comey, James 3. (DO) McCord, Mary Ramer, Sam Flores, Sarah lsgur (OPA) Subject: Recusal After careful consideration following meetings with career Department officials over the course of the past several weeks, the Attorney General has decided to recuse himself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States. The Attorney General?s recusal is not only with respect to such investigations, if any, but also extends to Department responses to Congressional and media inquiries related to any such investigations. You should instruct members of your staffs not to brief the Attorney General (or other officials in the Office of the Attorney General) about, or otherwise involve the Attorney General (or other officials in the Office of the Attorney General) in, any such matters described above. Pursuant to the Department's Order of Succession, Acting Deputy Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente shall act as, and perform the functions of, the Attorney General with respect to any such matters from which the Attorney General has recused himself. Jody Jody Hunt Chief of Staff Of?ce of the Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice of Public Affairs (SMO) From: of Public Affairs (SMO) Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 4:08 PM To: of Public Affairs (SMO) Subject: ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS STATEMENT ON RECUSAL Eepartment nf ?lnstiw FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG THURSDAY, MARCH 2: 2017 (202) 514-2007 TTY (866) 544-5309 ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS STATERIENT ON RECUSAL WASHINGTON Attorney General Je?' Sessions today issued the following statement ?During the course of the con?rmation proceedings on my nomination to be Attorney GeneraL I advised the Senate Judiciary Committee that ?[i]fa speci?c matter arose where I believed my impartiality might reasonably be questioned, I would consult with Department ethics o?cials regarding the most appropriate way to proceed? ?During the course of the last several weeks: I have met with the relevant senior career Department o?icials to discuss whether I should recuse myself from any matters arising from the campaigns for President of the United States. ?Having concluded those meetings today, I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States. have taken no actions regarding any such matters= to the extent they exist. ?This announcement should not be interpreted as con?rmation of the existence of any investigation or suggestive of the scope of any such investigation. ?Consistent with the succession order for the Department of Justice= Acting Deputy Attorney General and US. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dane Boente shall act as and perform the functions of the Attorney General with respect to any matters ?om which I have recused myself to the extent they exist-? if 17?237 DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. IF YOU HAVE PLEASE USE THE CONTACTS IN THE MESSAGE OR CALI. THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT 202-514-2007.