University of Michigan Acknowledged Two Russia-Gate Records. What Were They Based Upon?
In November 2025, the University of Michigan responded to a FOIA request seeking records in the files of Associate General Counsel Christine Gerdes concerning allegations of a Russian scheme to subvert the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election ("Russia-Gate") and any related documentation concerning Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou.
The University did not respond that no such records existed. Instead, it advised that two responsive records had been located and that both would be withheld from disclosure under claims of attorney-client privilege and advisory communications.
The University's response raised an obvious question: what, if anything, were those two records based upon?
The follow-up FOIA requests reproduced below were intended to answer that question. They did not seek the records themselves. Instead, they sought any non-privileged factual information underlying the records, including investigations, complaints, reports, law-enforcement communications, and other materials that may have formed the basis for them.
On May 27, 2026, the University denied those FOIA requests, stating that they were overly broad and burdensome and did not sufficiently describe the records sought.
A narrower FOIA request was subsequently submitted concerning only the first of the two responsive records identified in the University's November 13, 2025 response. That request again sought only the underlying factual basis for the record, if any existed.
On June 22, 2026, the University denied the narrower FOIA request, concluding that the request was overly broad, and that it could not determine what was meant by the phrase "first responsive record."
That response is notable because the University had already acknowledged the existence of two responsive records in its November 13, 2025 response. The June 22 denial therefore did not turn on the existence of responsive records, but on the University's conclusion that the narrowed request remained overly broad and did not sufficiently identify the record described as the "first responsive record."
On June 23, 2026, a further FOIA request was submitted concerning both responsive records identified in the University's November 13, 2025 response. The request attached both the November 13, 2025 response and the June 22, 2026 denial, sought any non-privileged factual materials underlying the two withheld records, and requested that the FOIA Office consult Associate General Counsel Christine Gerdes and any assistants or custodians reasonably likely to possess responsive materials.
Related Reporting
Exhibit 1 – November 13, 2025 University of Michigan FOIA Response
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Exhibit 2 – May 27, 2026 University of Michigan Response to Follow-Up FOIA Requests
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Exhibit 3 – June 22, 2026 University of Michigan Response to Narrowed FOIA Request
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Exhibit 4 – June 23, 2026 FOIA Request Concerning the Factual Basis of the Two Withheld Records
Following the University's June 22, 2026 response stating that it could not determine what was meant by the phrase "first responsive record," a further FOIA request was submitted concerning both responsive records identified in the University's November 13, 2025 response.
The request did not seek the withheld records themselves. Rather, it sought any non-privileged factual materials underlying those records, including complaints, reports, interview summaries, correspondence, investigative materials, and other records reviewed, relied upon, referenced, or incorporated in preparing them.
The request is reproduced below.
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Core Archive Documents
Case Model
Case Index
Federal Record Summary
Town & Gown: A Chronology (2014–2026)
From "This Will Ruin All Our Lives" to "I Will"
Selected Reporting
- From Mentor to Federal Investigation: The Dr. Eva Feldman Documentary Chronology
- July 26 Documentary Notice and Documentary Chronology Transmitted to City Attorney Kaur, Mayor Taylor, City Administrator Dohoney, and Police Chief Anderson Concerning Ann Arbor Police Department Investigations, Related City Proceedings, and Federal Investigations Involving Drs. Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou (2015–2026).
- July 7 Documentary Notice to University of Michigan Vice President and General Counsel Timothy G. Lynch Concerning University and Law Enforcement Investigations Involving Drs. Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou (2015–2026). July 8 UM Announces Lynch Leaving.
- From One FBI File to a Legislative Proposal: Peter and Maria Foerster Ask Senator Van Hollen's Office and Congressman Jamie Raskin to Consider a Uniform Administrative Framework for Federal Investigations
- The Institutional Fingerprint of the FBI Russia-Gate File: Referrals, Consults, Intelligence Reports, and the June 16, 2026 FBI Production
- Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou Document More Than Two Years of Unsuccessful Efforts to Trace Bank of Ann Arbor's $1.4 Million Sheriff's Sale Credit Bid (June 2026)
Brad Foerster, MD PhD
Brad Foerster is a FOIA advocate documenting requests, transparency disputes, and accountability investigations involving public agencies, universities, police oversight, and Russia-Gate related inquiries. His work compiles original documents, timelines, and analysis of public records and institutional responses. Brad is also a board-certified radiologist, author of Town & Gown, and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Brad lives in Potomac, Maryland with his family and is active in the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.