Washington: Pentagon confirms existence of Reid response
Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough confirmed to The Black Vault that the Department of Defense had indeed responded to Senator Reid's 2009 memo. She stated that while the response existed, it could not be released because congressional correspondence falls outside the Public Affairs office's release authority.
Background
The on-the-record statement represented a significant acknowledgment that contradicted later claims. Gough explicitly confirmed receipt of Reid's letter and stated that the Department had received and answered the senator's correspondence. This confirmation suggested that a tangible written response had been generated, staffed, and preserved according to standard DoD procedures. The spokesperson cited procedural restrictions rather than non-existence as the barrier to release. This statement became a key piece of evidence in subsequent FOIA appeals, establishing that responsive records should exist within DoD files.