Pam Bondi used secret DOJ email alias, FOIA records show

Pam Bondi Relied on Secret DOJ Email Alias

In a disclosure obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Bloomberg News Senior Investigative Reporter Jason Leopold, former Attorney General Pam Bondi used a secret email alias during her tenure. The account, grace.maye@usdoj.gov, was utilized for official government business across a 14-month period. It remained undisclosed while she served in the role, as reported by Bloomberg. Asked to talk to us about what you’ve been up to, Leopold discussed the findings during an appearance on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

A Routine Practice Across Past Attorneys General

The discovery highlights a long-standing practice within the Department of Justice where attorneys general utilize alternate email addresses rather than standard name-based accounts. Leopold noted in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Alexis Christoforous that for the past 12 years, he has filed FOIA requests to find out the email alias of every attorney general that exits the Justice Department. Past aliases have included pseudonyms like Lew Alcinder—the birth name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—as well as names derived from high schools, childhood streets, and grandparents, according to Bloomberg.

Security Rationale Versus Transparency Hurdles

The Department of Justice maintains that these alternate email addresses serve to protect against security threats, spam, and hacking attempts. However, the use of secret accounts creates substantial hurdles for public records transparency. When transparency advocates and journalists file FOIA requests without knowing a specific official’s alias, agency FOIA officers may not be able to locate the records during a search.

Months of Delays in Processing Records Requests

Leopold noted the six-month timeline required for the agency to process the simple request for Bondi’s alias. No, this is slow for one simple request, which is not even a document, Jason said.

Targeted Follow-Up Requests Now Possible

The disclosure of the grace.maye@usdoj.gov address allows journalists and researchers to submit targeted follow-up records requests for government communications that were previously shielded from standard departmental searches. Bloomberg reported that Bondi departed from the Department of Justice in April, prompting the initial records request that ultimately uncovered the alias six months later. During the discussion about why these accounts matter, Speaker C asked, But now you you said and you just sort of touched on it, but I mean, how do these why does it matter that they have an alias, I guess?