M denies FOIA request for WD email

Submitted by Jon06 on

"Your request is denied because no responsive records exist."

Discuss.

bluewings

October 23rd, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^

Not sure I believe WD even has an aunt. Thought the email thing sounded ridiculous. Stupid espn, I wonder if olberman will bring this up again not that I'll be watching

ChicagoGangViolins

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:43 PM ^

 

They aren't destroyed and are fully recoverable unless and until they are overwritten.  Even on very busy servers they persist for months de minimis.  Laptop, phone, print, litigation server, backup server et al. the data and tablular metadata can persist many years.  Recipient's ISP and local device should contain significant metadata to permit reconstruction.  I do this all the time in collaboration with trusted forensics people and my technical background mirrors Brian Cooke's technical background but with more real-world experience.  If there was data on Brandon's devices and network since hiring inception, that data is almost certainly still recoverable.

 

 

ChicagoGangViolins

October 23rd, 2014 at 8:33 PM ^

 
Lois Lerner:  Hot political and tax saavy vixen?  y/n
 
 
 
 
Within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king,
Keeps Death his court; and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp

Sam1863

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:05 PM ^

If you're going to post something that by its very controversial nature will make a large portion of the audience say, "Wait a minute - I call bullshit on this," then you have to have the proof - and you have to print it. WD may have been duped, and if so, that's on his source. But the minute he posted it, it was on him.

I don't know the kid, and while he may get overly-exuberant at times, he certainly doesn't annoy me like he does a lot of others. And I can appreciate anyone with a passion for all things UM. I hope he stays, and I hope he learns from this. And next time, verify - and be able to show it.

PeterKlima

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^

So this is what the "juicy news" post was all about? That started because Brian was trying to find a way to verify the Brandon email on his own since the FOIA didn't work, right?



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LSI Wolverine

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:23 PM ^

I'm not sure what that's about. He says he wants emails from 9/26 to 10/15, so that's right before concussiongate up to the day before last week's regent meeting. I don't remember when WD wrote that post, but it was definitely longer than a week ago. He's also vague in the tweets he just posted about the FOIA request, so I wonder if something else is up.

MWolverine7

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:35 PM ^

I know it's off topic but couldn't they make life tough for Brandon by mandating that he stay away from the football program- no interactions? I would think he would resign after having his power stripped.

wolverineesq

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^

Ok, here's the thing. The fact that there are "no responsive records" doesn't mean this was faked. It also doesn't mean it was not faked. 

I've been a reader of the blog and the message boards for a long time, but this is the first time I've posted and I'm doing so because I saw a lot of things that were inaccurate in this thread. A few other people have also made these same points, but really, they're worth reiterating. 

  • Someone mentioned above that "no responsive records" could be due to the fact that the email was deleted. This is true. The response didn't say "there are no responsive records and no responsive records ever existed." It would be illegal for DB or anyone else in the University to delete the email after receiving the FOIA request, but nothing would prevent him from deleting it prior to that. There are posters up all over the admin offices reminding people to delete email they don't need. Why do you think those posters exist? (Hint- they don't care about the space the email takes up)
  • Furthermore, if the email is not an "official record," it is not responsive. This means if DB or the University decided that it was a personal email, they would state that no responsive records existed. While I can't remember exactly what the email WD posted said, it would probably be dubious to call that a personal email, but I'm saying it's possible.
  • Most of UM uses email hosted by Google. This means we don't an exchange server (Exchange is a Microsoft thing). I'm not sure if we control our MX server but frankly I doubt it. This could mean that any email purporting to be from a UMich email account would look like it was sent from a gmail account. There's a chance that the AD has its own email servers and isn't managed by Gmail - I know UMHS operates like this (due to HIPAA I think?) and that may not be the only unit.
  • It's not libel.

To reiterate, the FOIA response is not proof the email was false (even though it certainly could be false). The fact that WD can't produce the original email is far better evidence than the FOIA response. 

UMxWolverines

October 23rd, 2014 at 9:34 PM ^

I'm so dissapointed. I wasn't sure about it from the start, but this could have been the nail in DB's coffin. 

DB is like Jason Voorhees, no matter how many bad things happen he just keeps coming back. 

RedGreene

October 23rd, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^

I like WD but Mgoblog's supposed to be a community.   There's really no reason for any member to start 5-10 threads a day.   If this continues Brian might have to change the name of the blog to MGoWD&Alum96

Go Blue Rosie

October 24th, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^

I'm not sure this means the email exchange didn't happen as the response seems open to interpretation but I think this whole thing is a good lesson for everyone on how easy it is to get up in the emotion of the moment and a great example of why the board's usual caution when it comes to unsubstantiated claims is warranted.  At the time WD posted the email, the anti Dave Brandon sentiment was high and WD certainly felt or hoped the emails were legit.  More than half of the people on this blog, including Brian, clearly thought they were real.   Without the fevered pitch of 'DB must go' echoing in the background, LSA probably would not have been overruled when he took down the thread.  As cooler heads prevailed, FOIA requests were filed and people started to really question the decision - which sets this blog apart from so many other forums for fans.

In any event, I'm not going to come down too hard on WD.  He made an unwise decision posting the email without proof it was real but he was backed up by a majority of people on the board including the owner of the site.  Hopefully he (and all of us) will remember this and be more judicious going forward.  

(I sound a lot more like a Mom in this post than intended!) 

DarkWolverine

October 24th, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^

Good Points Rosie
Must be careful to avoid "vigilante journalism" especially when the pitchforks are out. WD has a few role models that use this practice at times. J U Bacon admitted tweeting and giving interviews where he stated certain items about Brandon and Hoke as fact and a few days later he admitted it was all speculation to stir things up. Brian has accused Brandon of trying to force doctors to modify their diagnosis of Morris in order to make Brandon look good. Brian admitted a few days later on the radio that he was speculating and had no evidence. He is progressing a FOIA request to investigate this. Perhaps, he should have made this more clear as many on this blog took his initial tweet as fact. Not sure I have seen either Brian or Bacon clarify these items in print to follow up what they admitted on the radio. But, heck, this is the Internet and anything goes. WD has posted pictures with Brandon, but I don't know whether they actually know each other. I'm an old guy and have many views that are different from the frequent posters. If I were WD, I would send an email to Brandon apologizing. Pending the FOIA findings, Brian might do the same if his accusations are baseless. Neg away. 1973/4 BS/MS ME.



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acs236

October 24th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^

What provoked it, I cannot say.  But I'm in possession of similar email where Hoke told someone to "have a nice life."  Those are his words.