Washington: DoD denies existence of Reid response in final FOIA
The Defense Department's executive office issued a final freedom-of-information decision denying the existence of any reply to Reid's 2009 correspondence. This determination conflicts with the agency's 2021 confirmation that a response had been transmitted.
Background
Issued under case 19-F-0948, the December 15 determination asserted that only Reid's original letter could be located, directing requesters to the previously released DIA copy. The response claimed complete fulfillment of the application despite producing no reply documents. This conclusion conflicts with DoD Instruction 5400.04 and Manual 5110.04-M, which mandate written responses to congressional inquiries within specific timeframes. The denial raises questions about record retention, potential destruction, or classification of the response at a level exempting it from FOIA searches. The contradiction between the 2021 confirmation and 2025 denial remains unresolved.