Kate Doyle's FOIA Request to the Secret Service, March 10, 2017.
National Security Archive
Kate Doyle’s March 10, 2017 FOIA request thrust presidential visitor logs into the national spotlight, igniting a legal clash over transparency and presidential ethics.
Source: Kate Doyle's FOIA Request to the Secret Service, March 10, 2017. Date: Mar 10, 2017 Collection: Trump Hides Mar-a-Lago Visitor Records Sep 15, 2017
Editorial Analysis
Original analysis by the DriftSeas editorial desk. The complete primary-source document, transcribed from the National Security Archive scan, appears in full below.
A FOIA Request at the Dawn of the Trump Presidency
On March 10, 2017, Kate Doyle, senior analyst for the National Security Archive, filed a formal Freedom of Information Act request with the Secret Service demanding the release of two specific data sets: the Worker and Visitor Entrance System (WAVES) logs and the Access Control Records (ACR) for the period between inauguration day and March 8, 2017. The request was not a routine archival inquiry; it was a coordinated effort by three watchdog groups—the National Security Archive, Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)—to shine a light on the early use of President Donald Trump’s private properties for official business.
The timing is crucial. By early March 2017, media reports and a handful of Senate letters had already raised alarms about potential conflicts of interest at Mar‑a‑Lago and Trump Tower. The Obama administration had set a precedent by publishing daily visitor logs from the West Wing, a practice that had become a staple of transparency journalism. The incoming administration, however, signaled a retreat from that norm, prompting a coalition of journalists, scholars, and ethics advocates to invoke the FOIA’s “expedited” provision, arguing that the public’s right to know about any mingling of private property and presidential duties outweighed any administrative inconvenience.
The Broader Transparency Fight
The request sits within a larger, post‑Watergate surge of archival activism that reshaped how the public monitors executive power. Since the 1990s, the National Security Archive has used FOIA to expose everything from CIA covert operations to the Pentagon’s procurement practices. In the context of the Trump presidency, the stakes were amplified: the president’s business empire was intertwined with his official role, raising unprecedented legal questions about the Emoluments Clause and the scope of presidential immunity.
By demanding the same 28 data fields that the White House had previously posted online—date, time, name, organization, purpose of visit, and so on—Doyle’s request sought to replicate a proven transparency tool. The inclusion of both WAVES and ACR records was strategic: WAVES captures who entered the building, while ACR logs badge swipes and door openings, together painting a granular picture of who physically accessed the president’s private residences while he was in office.
What the Request Reveals About Power and Process
Although the document itself is a request, its language reveals several layers of intent. First, the explicit citation of eight senators’ letters underscores that congressional pressure was already mounting, suggesting that the executive branch could not ignore the issue without political cost. Second, the request’s reliance on “representative of the news media” status highlights an ongoing legal debate over who qualifies for fee waivers—a debate that has its roots in the 1990 D.C. Circuit decision cited in the letter.
Third, the request’s framing of the issue as “exceptional media interest” and “questions about the government’s integrity” signals an awareness that the FOIA’s expedited track is reserved for matters that affect public confidence. By invoking both the Department of Homeland Security’s regulations and the FOIA’s urgency clause, Doyle calibrated the request to exploit every procedural lever available.
Finally, the partnership among three distinct organizations—an archival nonprofit, a university‑based First Amendment institute, and a government‑ethics watchdog—illustrates a modern coalition model for transparency advocacy. Each brings a different legal and rhetorical strength: the Archive’s FOIA expertise, the Knight Institute’s First‑Amendment framing, and CREW’s litigation pedigree.
Legacy and Ongoing Relevance
The March 10 request set the stage for a protracted battle over the release of presidential visitor logs that would continue throughout Trump’s term. Subsequent lawsuits forced the Secret Service to produce partial records, and courts eventually ruled that the logs constituted “records” subject to FOIA, despite the Secret Service’s initial claim of exemption under the “law enforcement” exception. The episode reinforced the principle that even the president’s private properties do not shield official interactions from public scrutiny.
In the years since, the precedent has been invoked in other contexts—most recently in debates over the Biden administration’s handling of visitor data at the White House. Doyle’s request therefore remains a touchstone for scholars and journalists who argue that transparency mechanisms must evolve alongside the ways presidents conduct business.
For readers of DriftSeas, the significance is twofold: the document exemplifies how a single, well‑crafted FOIA request can catalyze a national conversation about ethics, and it reminds us that the archival fight for openness is as much about legal strategy as it is about the raw data itself.
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COLUMBIA COPY
2808 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
Tel:(212) 865-1212
Fax:(212) 865-2139
DATE: 3/10/17
FROM: KATE DOYLE, NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE
TO: SECRET SERVICE, FOIA OFFICE
Fax Number : (202) 406-5586
Number of pages Following cover sheet : 6
The National Security Archive
New York Office 120 Wall Street 31st Floor New York, NY 10005 nsarchive.org
[Stamp: DECLASSIFIED National Security Archive Date: 3/10/17 By: Kate Doyle FOIA/PA Secret Service TOP SECRET]
Kate Doyle Senior Analyst Tel: (646) 792-7254
March 10, 2017
FOIA Officer Secret Service Communications Center (FOIA/PA) 245 Murray Lane Building T-5 Washington, D.C. 20223
Re: Expedited Request under the FOIA
Dear FOIA Officer:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Kate Doyle, on behalf of herself and the National Security Archive, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington hereby request the following:
(1) The Worker and Visitor Entrance System (WAVES) records and Access Control Records System (ACR) records dating from January 20, 2017 until March 8, 2017.
(2) Records of presidential visitors at Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower from January 20, 2017 to March 8, 2017.
This request specifically seeks the same 28 fields of data that previously were posted on the White House Visitor Records Requests website.
Pursuant to the FOIA and Department of Homeland Security regulations, we request expedition of this request because it involves an urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged federal government activity and is made by entities primarily engaged in disseminating information. Further, the subject of this request concerns a matter of widespread and exceptional media interest in which there exist possible questions about the government's integrity which affect public confidence.
White House visitor logs, first made available by the Obama administration, have proven to be an invaluable resource in determining the outside influences to which the president is subject. Countless articles have been written by a wide variety of publications based in part on information gleaned from the visitor logs. Moreover, significant concerns have been raised about how the president is using his private properties at Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower. The requested records will shed light on this equally important issue. Underlining the exceptional interest in accessing these logs, eight Senators sent letters to the president and Secret Service on March 6, 2017, urging the release of the WAVES data. The issue has been covered by media publications including The Daily Beast and Politico. Under these circumstances this request
An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at the George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Publication royalties and tax deductible contributions through The National Security Archive Fund, Inc. underwrite the Archive's Budget.
qualifies for expedition.
If you regard any of these documents as potentially exempt from the FOIA's disclosure requirements, we request that you nonetheless exercise your discretion to disclose them. As the FOIA requires, please release all reasonably segregable non-exempt portions of documents. To permit us to reach an intelligent and informed decision whether or not to file an administrative appeal of any denied material, please describe any withheld records (or portions thereof) and explain the basis for your exemption claims.
Ms. Doyle is the National Security Archive's senior analyst of U.S. policy in Latin America. Based at the Archive's office in New York, she works with other scholars, journalists, human rights groups, truth commissions, prosecutors and judges to open and analyze government files from secret archives that shed light on state violence. She is the author of several dozen book chapters and articles that have appeared in scholarly publications such as the World Policy Journal and in media ranging from Harper's Magazine to Mexico's Proceso.
The Knight First Amendment Institute is a newly established organization at Columbia University dedicated to defending and strengthening the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age. Research and public education are essential to the Institute's mission. Obtaining information about government activity, analyzing that information, and publishing and disseminating it to the press and public are among the core activities the Institute was established to perform.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. CREW is committed to protecting the public's right to be aware of the activities of government officials, to ensuring the integrity of those officials, and to highlighting and working to reduce the influence of money on politics. CREW uses a combination of research, litigation, and advocacy to advance its mission. CREW brought the original Freedom of Information case that persuaded the Obama administration to set up the automatic system of publishing White House visitor logs.
As a representative of the news media, the National Security Archive qualifies for "representative of the news media" status under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II) and, therefore, may not be charged search and review fees. (See National Security Archive v. U.S. Department of Defense, 880 F.2d 1381 (D.C. Cir. 1989), cert denied, 110 S Ct. 1478 (1990)). This request is made as part of a scholarly and news research project that is intended for publication and is not for commercial use. For details on the Archive's research and extensive publication activities please see our website at www.nsarchive.org.
The Knight Institute also qualifies for a waiver of search and review fees on the grounds that it qualifies both as a "representative of the news media" and as an "educational . . . institution" whose purposes include "scholarly . . . research" and the records are not sought for commercial use. 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). Situated within a prominent academic research university, the Institute will perform scholarly research on the application of the First Amendment in the digital era. The Institute is in the midst of inaugurating a research program that will bring together academics and practitioners of different disciplines to study contemporary First Amendment issues and offer informed, non-partisan commentary and solutions. It will publish that commentary in many forms—in scholarly publications, in long-form reports, and in short-form essays.
Please notify me before incurring any photocopying costs over $100. If you have any questions regarding the identity of these records, their location, the scope of the request or any other matters, please call me by phone at (646) 792-7254 or via e-mail at foiamail@gwu.edu. Sincerely, [Kate Doyle] Kate Doyle Cc: Jameel Jaffer, Founding Director, Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University Tom Blanton, Executive Director, National Security Archive Anne Weismann, Chief FOIA Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
3/10/2017 whv1o3.PNG
open.whitehouse.gov Catalog Developers Sign in
White House Visitor Records Requests A list of White House Visitor Record requests.
| NAMELAST | NAMEFIRST | NAMEMID | UIN | BDGNBR | Type of Access | TOA | POA | TOD | POD | APPT_MADE_DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 MATTHEWS | GARY | STARMX | AL | 05/15/2010 11:30:00 AM | ||||||
| 2 DOYLE | PATRICIA | STARMX | AL | 05/03/2010 08:03:00 AM | ||||||
| 3 MATTHEWS | SANDY | STARMX | AL | 05/15/2010 11:30:00 AM | ||||||
| 4 MALONE | SHARON | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 01:08:00 PM | ||||||
| 5 WILSON | WELLINGTON | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 01:08:00 PM | ||||||
| 6 ABEBE | SABA | STARMX | AL | 04/27/2010 07:25:00 PM | ||||||
| 7 ABRAHAM | ABEBE | STARMX | AL | 05/07/2010 06:59:00 PM | ||||||
| 8 ABRAHAM | AZENEGASH | H | STARMX | AL | 05/07/2010 06:59:00 PM | |||||
| 9 ABRAHAM | JITU | A | STARMX | AL | 05/08/2010 10:39:00 AM | |||||
| 10 ABRAHAM | YOHANNES | A | STARMX | AL | 05/07/2010 06:59:00 PM | |||||
| 11 ABRAMS | COURTNEY | E | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 12 ACCENERO | BRENDA | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 10:07:00 AM | ||||||
| 13 ACCENERO | MIKE | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 10:08:00 AM | ||||||
| 14 ACEVEDO | ELIZABETH | STARMX | AL | 05/03/2010 08:03:00 AM | ||||||
| 15 ACKERMAN | ERNEST | A | STARMX | AL | 05/03/2010 08:31:00 AM | |||||
| 16 ACKERMAN | JESSAMY | M | STARMX | AL | 05/03/2010 08:31:00 AM | |||||
| 17 ADAIR | PATRICIA | K | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 18 ADAMS | DIAMOND | M | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 19 ADAMS | EMERALD | S | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 20 ADAMS | LAMONT | P | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 21 ADAMS | SUSAN | M | STARMX | AL | 04/29/2010 06:21:00 PM | |||||
| 22 ADELONA | IFE | STARMX | AL | 05/15/2010 11:29:00 AM | ||||||
| 23 ADLER | JUDY | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 01:07:00 PM | ||||||
| 24 ADLER | MATTHEW | P | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 25 ADLER | MICHAEL | STARMX | AL | 05/09/2010 01:07:00 PM | ||||||
| 26 ADORNATO | PAMELA | A | STARMX | AL | 05/07/2010 07:06:00 PM | |||||
| 27 AEMISEGGER | CELINE | V | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:19:00 AM | |||||
| 28 AGUAYO | LILIANNE | P | STARMX | AL | 04/27/2010 07:13:00 PM | |||||
| 29 AGUILAR | JESUS | STARMX | AL | 05/13/2010 07:49:00 AM | ||||||
| 30 AGUILAR | MARIA | T | STARMX | AL | 04/30/2010 12:37:00 PM |
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3/10/2017 whvl2o3.PNG open.whitehouse.gov Catalog Developers f You Tube Q Sign in White House Visitor Records Requests A list of White House Visitor Record requests. Manage More Views Filter Visualize Export Discuss Embed About Find in this Dataset APPT_START_DATE APPT_END_DATE APPT_CANCEL_[Total_People LAST_UPDATED:POST LastEntryDate TERMINAL_SUF visitee_namelast 1 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/15/10 11:30 LC POTUS 2 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B3 WIN 5/3/10 8:03 B3 POTUS 3 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/15/10 11:30 LC POTUS 4 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 13:08 DC POTUS 5 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 13:08 DC POTUS 6 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 GB WIN 4/27/10 19:25 GB POTUS 7 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/7/10 18:59 LC POTUS 8 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/7/10 18:59 LC POTUS 9 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/8/10 10:39 LC POTUS 10 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/7/10 18:59 LC POTUS 11 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 12 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 10:08 DC POTUS 13 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 10:08 DC POTUS 14 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B3 WIN 5/3/10 8:03 B3 POTUS 15 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B3 WIN 5/3/10 8:30 B3 POTUS 16 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B3 WIN 5/3/10 8:30 B3 POTUS 17 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 18 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 19 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 20 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 21 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B9 WIN 4/29/10 18:21 B9 POTUS 22 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/15/10 11:29 LC POTUS 23 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 13:07 DC POTUS 24 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 25 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/9/10 13:07 DC POTUS 26 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 LC WIN 5/7/10 19:06 LC POTUS 27 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:19 DC POTUS 28 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 RC WIN 4/27/10 19:13 RC POTUS 29 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 DC WIN 5/13/10 7:49 DC POTUS 30 5/19/10 7:00 5/19/10 23:00 3,275 B9 WIN 4/30/10 12:37 B9 POTUS 4 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/15ab51d34cee0293?projector=1 1/1
3/10/2017 whv3o3.PNG open.whitehouse.gov Catalog Developers f Q Sign in White House Visitor Records Requests A list of White House Visitor Record requests. Manage More Views Filter Visualize Export Discuss Embed About Find in this Dataset MEETING_LOC MEETING_ROOM CALLER_NAME_LAST CALLER_NAME_FIRST CALLER_ROOM Description RELEASE_DATE 1 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 2 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 3 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 4 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 5 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 6 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 7 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 8 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 9 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 10 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 11 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 12 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 13 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 14 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 15 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 16 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 17 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 18 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 19 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 20 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 21 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 22 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 23 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 24 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 25 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 26 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 27 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 28 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 29 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 30 WH S GROUNDS OFFICE VISITORS STATE ARRIVAL - MEXICO** 08/27/2010 03:00:00 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/15ab51d34cee0293?projector=1 1/1
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