Editors might embarrassed but it is not Ed Martin's fault.

The Signpost has previously reported on the Trump administration's attempts to hurt the Wikipedia project. In particular, Ed Martin of the Department of Justice Weaponization Working Group has vowed to shame Wikipedia or worse. Almost a year has passed since he instigated his shame campaign, but what has he actually done to bring shame on the biggest project for free information in human history?

Unfortunately, The Signpost does not have the answer for you right now, but this draft FOIA request may soon illuminate what weaponization his group is working on. The author plans to submit it via MuckRock after this piece is published pending feedback from the community. Names and addresses have been redacted.

FOIA Request — DOJ Office of Information Policy Weaponization Working Group / Wikimedia Foundation

Dear FOIA Officer: I hereby request access to and copies of the records described below.

I. BACKGROUND

On April 24, 2025, then-Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin Jr. sent a letter to Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, which alleged that Wikipedia "allows foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda" and requested documents concerning the Foundation's compliance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. This request was submitted on DOJ letterhead and under the auspices of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. On February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi established the Weaponization Working Group ("WWG") within the Office of the Attorney General, pursuant to her memorandum titled "Restoring the Integrity and Credibility of the Department of Justice." The WWG is tasked with reviewing the activities of all departments and agencies and has drawn upon resources across the Department, including the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and other personnel. Mr. Martin subsequently became the director of the Weaponization Working Group. This request seeks to determine whether the WWG has independently taken up, reviewed, referred, continued, or expanded any inquiry, investigation, or action concerning the Wikimedia Foundation or Wikipedia. The Signpost has previously published investigative reporting on the Martin letter, the House Oversight Committee inquiry of August 2025, and the Senate Commerce Committee inquiry of October 2025. This request is made in direct furtherance of that ongoing coverage.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2025-09-09/In_the_media
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2025-06-24/In_the_media#Ed_Martin's_record

II. RECORDS REQUESTED I request all records created, received, transmitted, or maintained from October 1, 2025 to the present date, held by the Weaponization Working Group which include any communications between Mr. Martin and other WWG staff discussing:

1. The Wikimedia Foundation, including any memoranda, or meeting notes referencing the Wikimedia Foundation, its officers, its tax-exempt status, or its editorial or operational practices.
2. Wikipedia, including any memoranda, or meeting notes referencing Wikipedia's editorial policies, content, bias, reliability, alleged foreign influence operations, or editor identity.

Or between Mr. Martin and Ted Cruz discussing the same.

III. FORMAT OF REQUESTED RECORDS Please provide responsive records in electronic format (PDF or native format) where available.

IV. NEWS MEDIA REQUESTER STATUS AND FEE WAIVER I request that this request be processed under the news media requester fee category, limiting any applicable fees to reasonable duplication costs only, with no search or review fees assessed. I am a published contributor for The Signpost, a newspaper that has covered Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation, and the broader free knowledge movement continuously since December 2005. The Signpost satisfies each element of the regulatory definition of a news organization. The Signpost actively gathers, investigates, and reports on matters of public concern relating to one of the world's most widely used reference sources. This request is made in connection with active investigative reporting on the exercise of federal government authority over the Wikimedia Foundation and its volunteer editor community which is a subject of documented public interest that The Signpost has previously reported on at length. The Signpost volunteers publish original journalism. Records obtained through this request will be analyzed, contextualized, and incorporated into original reporting, not republished as raw data. They will be submitted to The Signpost for editorial review. The Signpost is freely accessible to the public worldwide. It is among the most widely read publications directly focused on the Wikipedia community, with a documented readership and a public archive of reporting spanning two decades. The Signpost operates with editorial independence from the Wikimedia Foundation. It is neither paid nor directed by the Wikimedia Foundation or any affiliated entity. Its coverage regularly includes critical reporting on the Wikimedia Foundation, its leadership, and its institutional relationships — including the congressional inquiries that are the subject of this request. The Signpost's two-decade publication history, independent editorial structure, and demonstrated record of original investigative journalism place it squarely within the news media requester category.

In the alternative, if news media requester status is not granted, I request a full fee waiver pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii) on the following independent grounds: Disclosure of whether and how the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group has exercised (or declined to exercise) investigative authority over the Wikimedia Foundation contributes significantly to public understanding of government operations. The WWG is a novel executive entity whose activities have been almost entirely opaque since its creation. Records showing its relationship to prior DOJ actions targeting a major nonprofit — including the April 2025 letter from then-Acting U.S. Attorney Martin that explicitly threatened the Foundation's tax-exempt status and promised to use the office to "embarrass" the Foundation regardless of legal findings directly illuminate how federal power is being exercised toward civil society organizations. This is precisely the kind of government-operations information FOIA was enacted to surface. This request is made solely for journalistic purposes. Neither I nor The Signpost has any commercial interest in the Wikimedia Foundation, any financial relationship with any party involved in the matters described, or any interest in the outcome of any investigation beyond accurate public reporting. I certify that the statements made in support of news media requester status and fee waiver are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

V. EXPEDITED PROCESSING REQUEST I also request expedited processing on the grounds that there is a compelling need for the records. The subject matter is of current public and journalistic significance. There is a risk that delayed disclosure could affect ongoing public discourse, editorial decision-making at Wikipedia, and chilling effects on the anonymous contributions of Wikipedia editors. I certify that my need for expedited processing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Please send all correspondence and responsive records to REDACTED

If you have questions about the scope of this request or require clarification before proceeding, please contact me at the above information before making any adverse determination. Thank you for your attention to this matter.