State Department FOIA Accountability
Senior officials who control FOIA transparency, obstruct public records requests, and determine whether cases of stranded Americans get investigated or buried.
State Department FOIA Accountability: The Gatekeepers
State Department FOIA accountability begins with understanding who controls access to public records. These officials determine which requests get answered, which get ignored, and which get improperly closed without explanation. Their decisions directly impact families seeking answers about stranded loved ones.
The Freedom of Information Act requires agencies to respond within 20 business days. State Department FOIA accountability breaks down when deadlines become suggestions rather than legal requirements. The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) provides mediation for disputes, yet systemic obstruction continues.
The profiles below document officials who have repeatedly failed State Department FOIA accountability standards. Every ignored request, missed deadline, and improper closure represents a deliberate choice to hide the truth from American citizens and their advocates.
State Department FOIA Officials
Carlos A. Hernandez
Carlos A. Hernandez serves as Country Officer at State Department headquarters in Washington DC—NOT at Embassy Lomé. He’s in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, same office as Bill Torrance. Togo has been in Carlos’s portfolio since 2021. His 2021 email: “David, for me to assist I need at least his passport number”—demanding impossible documentation. For 4+ years, he dismissed the case with boilerplate templates from his DC desk. In mid-October 2025, Carlos sent letter FALSELY claiming he spoke with advocate in June/July—but documented correspondence was only with his colleague Bill Torrance (temporarily covering Togo). Two Country Officers in the same headquarters office coordinated to fabricate engagement documentation. The fabrication came weeks after CFW filed FOIA seeking “The File.” This isn’t field-headquarters coordination—it’s two DC colleagues conspiring to create false records.
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Susan Weetman
Information Access Programs Directorate
U.S. Department of State
Demonstrates systematic failures in State Department FOIA accountability by ignoring 9 out of 10 requests about a stranded veteran. The single response arrived 10 days past the legal deadline from a no-reply email address. Previously defended FOIA stonewalling in federal court, where a judge rejected her justifications as inadequate and insufficient.
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Gina Goldblatt
Government Information Specialist
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of State
Partners with Susan Weetman in undermining State Department FOIA accountability at the Inspector General level. Improperly closed one FOIA request without providing documents, explanations, or legal justification. Selectively responds to other FOIA requests while maintaining complete silence on all requests concerning the stranded veteran case.
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