Egyptian army chief, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, led a coup against Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The Egyptian constitution was subsequently suspended.

When it happened, President Barack Obama avoided the use of the word “coup” to describe what unfolded. This was to ensure U.S. military aid continued to flow to the country. And, as The Guardian noted, “Ties between the Pentagon and the Egyptian military [were] already close.”

A request was submitted on November 6, 2015, for records prepared, received, transmitted, collected, or maintained on the 2013 Egyptian coup. The intent was to uncover documents on any U.S. complicity or coordination with the Egyptian military ahead of or during the coup.

The DIA responded on August 4, 2017, and claimed records were properly classified and exempt from release.

However, the DIA indicated the agency “located 20 documents (108 pages).” Nineteen of the documents were “referred to another government agency for their review.”

The DIA is a U.S. military intelligence agency within the Department of Defense. Why do they possess these documents?

An appeal was filed with the DIA in response to their decision to keep the records secret.