Lawsuit accuses state department, DOJ of stonewalling FOIA requests regarding climate office personnel

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is facing heightened pressure to disclose information regarding its climate office staff members after a new lawsuit accuses them of stonewalling.

Power the Future (PTF), an energy watchdog group, submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for an unredacted list of former Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) John Kerry’s staff in January.

SPEC has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget from the State Department with approval for 45 personnel, Fox News Digital previously reported, but Kerry has remained quiet about his climate staff over the years.

PTF filed a lawsuit against the State Department in February after reportedly experiencing a system of delays in the disclosure of the names and job titles of Kerry's staff, which they said were highly redacted in its initial release. As of September, the department has reportedly not disclosed all the members of the climate office, prompting PTF to take their action a step further, Fox News Digital has learned.

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A new PTF complaint, filed on Oct. 3, claims that the Biden administration's "climate" operation at SPEC is displaying a "clear pattern and practice" of delayed FOIA responses.

The lawsuit, one of 14 filed by PTF against the State Department, also names the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on claims that they are keeping information regarding SPEC’s operations from the public.

"For years, Power The Future has sought legitimate information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on John Kerry’s Climate Office, its budget, staff, mission, and outside coordination, and for years we have been told,