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CIA won't disclose lobbying reports

The Central Intelligence Agency won't make public lobbying disclosures by its contractors, claiming that release could compromise classified information or intelligence sources and methods.

In a response to a POLITICO Freedom of Information Act request, the CIA could "neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records" related to federal government contractors and their lobbying activities.

The grounds? "The fact of the existence or nonexistence of requested records is currently and properly classified and is intelligence sources and methods information that is protected from disclosure," the agency wrote.

Any company or entity that receives money from the federal government is required to file an additional, supplemental lobbying disclosure form.

That form is on top of the typical lobbying disclosures filed with the House and Senate that are well known to journalists, researchers and K Streeters.

Those additional disclosures — called OMB form LLLs — plainly state that they should be made available to public inspection.

But the federal government never created a central repository for researchers to request or view the disclosure forms.

Most agencies had never heard of the forms when contracted by POLITICO, but lobbyists who work for contractors say they do get filed as part of grant applications or bids for government contracts.

After asking more than a half-dozen offices and agencies for their contractor lobbying disclosures, POLITICO requested those lobbying disclosures for major tech and telecom companies in a FOIA request in July.

Only the National Security Agency and the CIA have responded so far. In an August response, the NSA denied having any records for telecom or tech companies.

"No records responsive to your request were located," the NSA wrote.

The Department of Justice and Defense Department have not yet responded to POLITICO's FOIA.