Kevin H Bell
@kevinhbell.bsky.social
FOIA Lawyer at Free Information Group, PLLC
Kevin {at} freeinformationgroup.com
Signal: KevinHBell.552
Ask me about suing the government!
Kevin {at} freeinformationgroup.com
Signal: KevinHBell.552
Ask me about suing the government!
Pinned
Kevin H Bell
@kevinhbell.bsky.social
· Sep 30
Today was my last day as a federal employee, but tomorrow I and my new partner, Ginger Quintero-McCall, open a new law practice, the Free Information Group. We are both FOIA lawyers, and we are very good at suing the government. 1/
Elon told us to find more productive work in the private sector, so we did
Just recorded a podcast episode with Nevin Kamath of @resisttrump.us! Talking, naturally, bout FOIA, its utility for street organizing, and my prior experience litigating for records on the Lafayette Square protests in 2020. Check it out on the next ep of Rise & Resist pod.
February 10, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Just recorded a podcast episode with Nevin Kamath of @resisttrump.us! Talking, naturally, bout FOIA, its utility for street organizing, and my prior experience litigating for records on the Lafayette Square protests in 2020. Check it out on the next ep of Rise & Resist pod.
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
“kid rock? isn’t that what they called epstein island?”
February 9, 2026 at 3:12 PM
“kid rock? isn’t that what they called epstein island?”
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
Thanks for your support @freedom.press. Journalists must pushback against any attempts by those in power - locally & nationally - to stifle the media because every time they succeed, it emboldens others to follow suit, which can lead to the dismantling of democracy & a government-controlled media.
The U.S. Virgin Islands always deserve transparency but especially when they're at the center of national news like the Epstein case.
We spoke to journalist @shirleysmithvi.bsky.social about her efforts to fix the territory's archaic public records laws.
We spoke to journalist @shirleysmithvi.bsky.social about her efforts to fix the territory's archaic public records laws.
A journalist’s campaign to fix public records law in the U.S. Virgin Islands
If journalists don’t advocate for their own rights, who will?
freedom.press
February 6, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Thanks for your support @freedom.press. Journalists must pushback against any attempts by those in power - locally & nationally - to stifle the media because every time they succeed, it emboldens others to follow suit, which can lead to the dismantling of democracy & a government-controlled media.
My favorite part about the DOJ is how careful and consistent they are when redacting. Truly upholding their duty as custodians of the public record with. From pages EFTA01624280-81
February 6, 2026 at 8:02 PM
My favorite part about the DOJ is how careful and consistent they are when redacting. Truly upholding their duty as custodians of the public record with. From pages EFTA01624280-81
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
if you had told people back during the Kavanaugh hearings that disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was working the phones getting Ken Starr to lobby Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton to vote yes people would have said you need to get your head checked. But this is literally what was happening.
February 6, 2026 at 4:21 PM
if you had told people back during the Kavanaugh hearings that disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was working the phones getting Ken Starr to lobby Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton to vote yes people would have said you need to get your head checked. But this is literally what was happening.
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy r...
www.wired.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:29 PM
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
I have FOIAd the CIA World Factbook and the reasons for its removal
![February 4, 2026
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20505
Dear FOIA Officer:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended, I request the following information and records.
Background.
As of today, February 4, 2026, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has officially announced the sunsetting of the World Factbook.1 The agency explained in its press release announcing the end of the book, it explained “[t]he World Factbook appealed to researchers, news organizations, teachers, students, and international travelers. Some readers even inquired whether their preferred geographic designation or world entity could be included on the high-profile site.”2 Secondary commenters noted that “[t]here was no reason provided by the CIA for the discontinuance of public access to the Factbook.”3 The removal has also generated coverage by major outlets such as the Associated Press.4
For over 60 years, the Factbook served as the US government's official unclassified repository for global data, as a curated database accumulated from coordination with the State Department, Census Bureau, and other agencies to verify and standardize information. The Factbook’s removal has implications beyond the loss of its immediate public utility. The Factbook reflects official US geopolitical stances (e.g., which borders the US recognizes). Because the data has been collected consistently for decades, it is the premier resource for tracking demographic and economic changes globally. It also serves as the foundation for many other databases, and innumerable secondary sources including Wikipedia, NGO reporting on international events, and major academic and journalistic publications all linked back to information it contained.
This illustrates the public interest and context for the following:
1 CIA, Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell, CIA STORIES (Feb. 4, 2026), https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/spotlighting-…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hfsrlrjru5sij7natcqwfvku/bafkreic4swcx6zuyf45y43r4x2mur57pkchdnjpwxkgdvhe3pzufr33mda@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 AM
I have FOIAd the CIA World Factbook and the reasons for its removal
I have FOIAd the CIA World Factbook and the reasons for its removal
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 AM
I have FOIAd the CIA World Factbook and the reasons for its removal
Homan works at the White House
Q: We've seen ICE draw guns on Americans who are not protesters. We're seen people pulled out of their houses. Do you think ICE & CBP needs to change their tactics?
JOHNSON: I have great trust in the leadership of DHS. You need a steady hand at the wheel. I think Tom Homan is a great guy to do that
JOHNSON: I have great trust in the leadership of DHS. You need a steady hand at the wheel. I think Tom Homan is a great guy to do that
February 3, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Homan works at the White House
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
And today the Treasury Department told me it wouldn't expedite processing of a FOIA for the agreement allowing Qatar to hold the money because it couldn't identify an immediate public interest.
To help out Treasury: It rhymes with corruption. It's also spelled the same as corruption.
To help out Treasury: It rhymes with corruption. It's also spelled the same as corruption.
SHAHEEN: It's been reported that the oil sold for $500 million and $300 million went to Venezuelan government. What happened to the other $200 million?
RUBIO: It's still sitting in the account is my understanding
SHAHEEN: The account in Qatar?
RUBIO: Yes
RUBIO: It's still sitting in the account is my understanding
SHAHEEN: The account in Qatar?
RUBIO: Yes
February 2, 2026 at 9:18 PM
And today the Treasury Department told me it wouldn't expedite processing of a FOIA for the agreement allowing Qatar to hold the money because it couldn't identify an immediate public interest.
To help out Treasury: It rhymes with corruption. It's also spelled the same as corruption.
To help out Treasury: It rhymes with corruption. It's also spelled the same as corruption.
All sorts of process stuff in addition to the substance in the Epstein Library. Here are SDNY's elite AUSAs relaying secondhand "I asked ChatGPT" research to inform litigation decisions
![From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
nes av October 16. 6:
10/16 Call Notes with Doug Wigdor
Call with Doug Wigdor 10/16/24
Black
END
DW did ChatGPT search related to Leon Black settlement; dealings with Brad Edwards
o Results: Black retained Edwards as part of a legal settlement of allegations filed against him; 2022 Jane
Doe settlement
• Edwards was involved in negotiating a settlement [DW thinks this could have been the Jane Doe
case that settled]
• There have been other instances where a victim's attorney has been hired by the defendant;
happened in the Bill O'Reilly case
o DW asked for the sources for that answer: cases involving Jeffrey Epstein, some confidential
o In follow up questions, ChatGPT responded there was no reliable source information linking Edwards as
counsel for Black [[nb: sounds like this was mistake by ChatGPT; does not seem relevant]]
Conference coming up in Wigdor's case
United States Attorney's Office
Southern District of New York](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hfsrlrjru5sij7natcqwfvku/bafkreigsmbzfvtp4lzpd4tu7x2je5zdwyyispnxsbkdpybsstmwpcn2lla@jpeg)
February 2, 2026 at 8:59 PM
All sorts of process stuff in addition to the substance in the Epstein Library. Here are SDNY's elite AUSAs relaying secondhand "I asked ChatGPT" research to inform litigation decisions
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
Part of the problem here is that both are designated security agencies, granting many CBP and ICE agents the same kind of protections as secret service and FBI employees.
I was curious where ICE and CBP agents in Minnesota were deploying from, so I looked at OPM data. What I found is that their duty stations are almost universally redacted from the public data. www.pbump.net/o/where-are-...
Where are ICE and Border Patrol agents coming from?
The duty stations of nearly every ICE and CBP officer is redacted in OPM data.
www.pbump.net
February 2, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Part of the problem here is that both are designated security agencies, granting many CBP and ICE agents the same kind of protections as secret service and FBI employees.
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
i am very much of the view that undermining the court’s secrecy is a necessary part of remaking it into something like an actual court (and not some guardian council) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
How the Supreme Court Secretly Made Itself Even More Secretive
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:56 PM
i am very much of the view that undermining the court’s secrecy is a necessary part of remaking it into something like an actual court (and not some guardian council) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
Genuinely the funniest possible panel line-up of all time and it's for a real estate conference in Riyadh
January 26, 2026 at 4:26 AM
Genuinely the funniest possible panel line-up of all time and it's for a real estate conference in Riyadh
Look ma, my case is on TV
wjla.com/news/local/d...
wjla.com/news/local/d...
'My nightmare'; Kentucky woman sues DC to access OUC's 911 calls in son's sudden death
A grieving mother from Kentucky is suing Washington, D.C. to uncover the truth about her son's sudden death.
wjla.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Look ma, my case is on TV
wjla.com/news/local/d...
wjla.com/news/local/d...
Also we did a press conference! Keep an eye on channel 5 and 7 tonight in case we get picked up 🤞
January 27, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Also we did a press conference! Keep an eye on channel 5 and 7 tonight in case we get picked up 🤞
This morning, FIG sued the D.C. OUC for a 911 call documenting the last minutes of Will Ostertag, the deceased son of our client Stephanie Clemans. He died of a cardiac arrest just 250 feet from DC Firehouse 11, which 911 took nearly 8 minutes to dispatch.
Tomorrow at 10:00 am, the Free Information Group will be hosting our first Press Conference at Busboys & Poets, 450 K St. NW, to announce new litigation against D.C.’s 911 call center, the Office of Unified Communication. If you are a DC journalist or OUC-watcher, please come! DM/email for details
January 27, 2026 at 9:04 PM
This morning, FIG sued the D.C. OUC for a 911 call documenting the last minutes of Will Ostertag, the deceased son of our client Stephanie Clemans. He died of a cardiac arrest just 250 feet from DC Firehouse 11, which 911 took nearly 8 minutes to dispatch.
Loving the FOIA implication that these accounts are all agency controlled records
They took away his right to post.
Not sure there's a bigger punishment in the MAGA universe.
Not sure there's a bigger punishment in the MAGA universe.
January 27, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Loving the FOIA implication that these accounts are all agency controlled records
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
If you're one of the Border Patrol agents I've spent months making videos of and you want to talk about any of this, I'm mlm335.27 on Signal, mlm335 on Telegram, or mandawritesthings at proton dot me.
I'll protect your identity, and I won't flinch when I see you in the next city.
I'll protect your identity, and I won't flinch when I see you in the next city.
"DHS has suspended Gregory Bovino’s access to his social media accounts effective immediately," CNN reports
January 27, 2026 at 1:56 AM
If you're one of the Border Patrol agents I've spent months making videos of and you want to talk about any of this, I'm mlm335.27 on Signal, mlm335 on Telegram, or mandawritesthings at proton dot me.
I'll protect your identity, and I won't flinch when I see you in the next city.
I'll protect your identity, and I won't flinch when I see you in the next city.
FOIA guarantees you the right to know exactly how many DHS employees used the words "Bovino" and "loser" in the same email today
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 12:33 AM
FOIA guarantees you the right to know exactly how many DHS employees used the words "Bovino" and "loser" in the same email today
Tomorrow at 10:00 am, the Free Information Group will be hosting our first Press Conference at Busboys & Poets, 450 K St. NW, to announce new litigation against D.C.’s 911 call center, the Office of Unified Communication. If you are a DC journalist or OUC-watcher, please come! DM/email for details
January 26, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Tomorrow at 10:00 am, the Free Information Group will be hosting our first Press Conference at Busboys & Poets, 450 K St. NW, to announce new litigation against D.C.’s 911 call center, the Office of Unified Communication. If you are a DC journalist or OUC-watcher, please come! DM/email for details
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
Houston officials: please stay home and do not drive on the ice, you will crash your car
Houstonians: i have got to go crash my car on the ice
Houstonians: i have got to go crash my car on the ice
January 25, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Houston officials: please stay home and do not drive on the ice, you will crash your car
Houstonians: i have got to go crash my car on the ice
Houstonians: i have got to go crash my car on the ice
Reposted by Kevin H Bell
no matter how bad you are at your job, no matter how crazy things might get, very few people in modern history have ever been more over their head while in charge of a more fucked up situation than kristi noem
January 25, 2026 at 3:41 AM
no matter how bad you are at your job, no matter how crazy things might get, very few people in modern history have ever been more over their head while in charge of a more fucked up situation than kristi noem
