"A green group is requesting an investigation of the Department of the Interior’s top lawyer, arguing he downplayed his role in the department’s controversial public records review process while testifying in May.
Daniel Jorjani, the principal deputy solicitor at Interior, told senators he did not regularly review documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) before their release.
But a batch of documents released through a public records request from EarthJustice shows the confusion that stemmed from the policy and how Jorjani was involved in processing the requests.
“He misled Congress and stepped very close to perjury,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities, arguing that Jorjani held back information from lawmakers who inquired about the public record process."