The FBI’s "Vexsome" Blacklist: How Federal Agencies Target Persistent Transparency Advocates

Is the FBI blacklisting "vexsome" FOIA filers? Learn about the new Cato Institute lawsuit challenging the Bureau's secret list of persistent transparency advocates.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 4:41 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Antiwar.com

The Rise of the "Vexsome" Label

The Freedom of Information Act was established to ensure that the government remains accountable to the people. However, critics argue the FBI has inverted this principle by categorizing certain citizens and organizations as "vexsome." While the Bureau has historically denied the existence of such a list, document archives from transparency researchers like John Greenewald of The Black Vault indicate that the term is used internally to flag requesters who file a high volume of inquiries. This designation suggests that instead of processing requests based on their legal merit, the FBI may be prioritizing or scrutinizing them based on the identity of the filer.

Legislative Intent vs. Bureaucratic Reality

The FOIA statute, championed by the late Representative John Moss (D-CA), was specifically designed to protect investigative journalists and researchers who ask persistent questions. The law contains no provision allowing agencies to single out "vexatious" users for disfavored treatment. In fact, the law presumes that access to records is a public right. By creating a de facto "enemies list," transparency advocates argue the FBI is violating the spirit of the 1966 Act, which sought to prevent federal agencies from hand-picking who deserves access to information.

A Direct Conflict in Record-Keeping

The Cato Institute recently discovered it had been labeled "vexsome" during a previous administration. When senior fellow Patrick Eddington filed a follow-up FOIA request to understand how the FBI defines and utilizes this label, the Bureau claimed it could find "no records responsive" to the request. This "Glomar-like" denial sits in direct contradiction to previously released internal documents that used the specific terminology. This discrepancy has led to a new lawsuit filed by the Cato Institute to force the production of records regarding the Bureau's tracking of American citizens.