Kerry Appoints New Transparency Officer to Handle FOIA Request Backlog

Secretary of State John Kerry announced the appointment of a new transparency coordinator to coordinate Freedom of Information Act requests.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Secretary of State John Kerry announced the appointment of Janice Jacobs to be the official transparency coordinator in charge of better coordinating Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Ambassador Jacobs will be "charged with improving document preservation and transparency systems," Kerry said in a Tuesday press release.

Jacobs will have the specific task of "improving our systems for responding to Freedom of Information Act and congressional requests fast and more efficiently," Kerry added.

The FOIA is a US federal law allowing for full or partial disclosure of information and documents controlled by the government. Final decision on what information can be released is made by FOIA staff members at the relevant government agency.

Since 2008, the State Department has seen a three-fold increase in the number of FOIA requests, putting a stress on existing personnel and creating long response times.

The appointment of a transparency coordinator occurs in the midst of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal. The State Department has had to respond to requests for information on more than 55,000 e-mails retrieved from Clinton’s private e-mail server that she used for official business during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.