Iowa Public Information Board Complaint – State of Iowa Attorney General’s Office
Date of Alleged Violation:
22 July 2025
Government Employees/Officials Involved:
Bird, Brenna (State of Iowa Attorney General) – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-attorney-general-brenna-bird/
Peterzalek, Jeffrey – Jeffrey.Peterzalek@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-jeffrey-peterzalek/
Bull, Ed – Ed.Bull@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-edward-bull/
Krisko, Susan – Susan.Krisko@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-susan-krisko/
Wessan, Eric – Eric.Wessan@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-eric-wessan/
Olson, Leif – leif.olson@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-leif-olson/
Barnes, Daniel – daniel.barnes@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-daniel-barnes/
Breitbarth, Dan – Dan.Breitbarth@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-assistant-attorney-general-dan-breitbarth/
Hoffman, Zach – Zach.Hoffman@ag.iowa.gov
Government Entity Involved:
Iowa Attorney General’s Office
Alleged Violation:
Iowa Code Chapter 22
Other Persons with Information:
All State of Iowa recipients of this email, including members of the Iowa press (excluding U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs personnel), as reflected in the State of Iowa’s email public records and my investigative files. Many of these individuals have been routinely updated on this matter since 2019.
Description of Alleged Violation:
Failure to release an email public record, including the email address of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. This record was sought in connection with a request for emails showing the Iowa Attorney General’s Office’s involvement in actions by former IPIB Executive Director Erika Eckley. The correspondence in question relates to alleged violations of Iowa Code Chapter 216, involving the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. The matter also concerns former Deputy Attorney General and IPIB Chair Julie Pottorff (See: https://io.phoenixharbor.net/public/grid/OD960dOh8sc-aKmQXAfSLmFuIXU4JNn0fEUZK4xT0po), and numerous entities involved in representing government interests.
https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/r8TI1YGBS1OZRucAWcn5zInsWEk1oz0QocKWMUkBUGF91I7Xu7
https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/wDxfQAfBFHzVCrRKKE4ZTHSV5BtNIywkMpXIkyN5MAiFtNmtib
Personal Contact Information:
Michael J. Merritt
2510 S 6th Street D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
pyrebird@ops.phoenixharbor.net
Below is documentation regarding the State of Iowa’s relocation of a former Iowa Public Information Board Executive Director and the changes made to her official contact email account. Historical records and public reporting suggest these changes may be linked to prior conduct concerns stored and preserved in the former executive director’s previous email account. These materials are being prepared for submission to the Iowa Judicial Branch and federal regulators.
1. https://ethics.iowa.gov/news-and-announcements/2025-05-14/eckley-appointed-ethics-director
3. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/departments/details?groupID=84
Below are news references I believe should prompt Iowans to consider the affiliations and actions of certain State of Iowa leaders.
9. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/07/1249318101/stormy-daniels-trump-trial-new-york
10. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4977352/trump-trial-verdict
11. https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/donald-trump-miss-teen-usa
12. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/politics/trump-business-empire/?asset=90
13. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/18/trump-epstein-friendship
14. https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db
16. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/g-s1-76367/doj-jeffrey-epstein-memo
17. https://www.newsweek.com/karoline-leavitt-bondi-desk-jeffrey-epstein-client-list-2095628
18. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/g-s1-77698/pam-bondi-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department
Evidence regarding Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s handling of testimony and evidence related to the alleged interstate concealment of two children, who, as documented, were concealed from court-ordered appearances in San Diego East County Superior Court Case No. ED100465 and thereby prevented from providing testimony involving allegations of sexual abuse. At the same time, they were concealed in Ames, Iowa by Iowa State University Reiman Gardens Education Director Sara Merritt. Nearly 1,000 pages of public records show that Sara Merritt, at the time, coordinated field trips for State of Iowa public school children to visit Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens.
23. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/FPlDvj4Av87trvx3WiPLP8gtp88wZxDTA5IQMlty3kmQjRaMqT
24. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/H96aMyG8V6EeQIX77f8F17hNgTsCj09AXuBWkaBkxPmAHEzeiP
25. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/0ubZaVDdPb0oDPbhn0OQ6DPkLWvgrFMWhVamtfqZgSSk7duwDH
26, (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/0Ch3QctPPlTZWSc58yqA2n1uLlI97JWRgACOdy6ailn6bvIxNN
(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/QbN6vSqMBEzaYwdLL0v6mLOSRnxT8SpAi8qcQ8ftL04gyR2dQe
27. (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/xvrv2Uq6U8KmAjsKCIMSSFjVefbfmtmBGUyeIBouJ4zbAWZrij
(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/EWWz69S6SJIOKz15kbuakhkfT4MsUbQpE9yv56ORcIgalIGmCp
28. (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/djUEB54maudTzRkba5fg0k3V0kX77gqmvbJK9F62HeJGQVEeF4
(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/WkPk18FwqEhpw2nRf24K6bMwloXhaL2m3HiPCBN9Tcv1F1pVSt
(c.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/pkDQ2INBtjz2arIyFXuGetKgR8Jn5Oqj4ax6zX5ndNsLrWXqiZ
(d.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/6kTH6XrdXC8KE3KUtVwIWPSLMuw5XZciml0fv2jWphYEq2Vusf
(e.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/3gDSoqp76x6FUeOqwU7ZAcMcz7ivzZDG6Pq8JrwD7DvXf3Nqgh
(f.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/uJi8cbGKHnZ8lkJcwmvY4TceMMqoazYI2OWapyyBaWSvEsosf1
(g.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/9yZIeHkNLBo2I0vrEZZcuf3vNjayAFXJoiuV9aUDuek4OpQPQq (Note: Ames IA, Community School District released student information protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA – 1974) during a request for public records pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 22.)
Ames Community School District in Ames, Iowa, maintains educational records showing that Sara Merritt enrolled my children in the district at the same time they were under court order to provide testimony regarding alleged sexual abuse reported by Claudia J. Bergman (f.k.a. Claudia J. Merritt, a.k.a. Claudia J. Alatorre) in San Diego East County Superior Court Case No. ED100465. Evidence indicates that Claudia J. Bergman, Sara N. Merritt, and Matthew E. Merritt coordinated the concealment of my children across the states of California, Iowa, and Montana. At that time, neither Matthew E. Merritt nor Sara N. Merritt possessed any court documents authorizing the out-of-state transfer of my children or the unauthorized custody they recorded on Ames Community School District registration forms.
It is my belief that a reasonable conclusion can be drawn that the State of Iowa’s repeated attempts to criminalize me directly correlate with its possible desire to discredit my investigation, protect institutional credibility (related to these events and subsequent public records requests and complaints), and conceal evidence showing that taxpayer dollars were used to fund the education of two students whom Ames Community School District registered without properly verifying authorized custody. At the same time, evidence indicates that their minors’ counselor, Meredith Levin (#226437), did not know where her clients were located or who had custody of them.
The evidence revealing the true form and ethics of Iowa’s leadership is shown not only in its attempts to criminalize me for pursuing the Truth in the Light of God, but also in overwhelming proof of municipal, county, and state inaction. The record demonstrates deliberate disregard and complete failure over years of events.
I believe the evidence showing Governor Kim Reynolds’ indirect handling of these matters, through her historical non-responses to public records requests and through the subsequent complaints related to records requests seeking data about these events that were submitted to state officials she appointed and which the evidence shows were ignored or improperly dismissed, is consistent with her public act of kissing a politician on stage who was implicated in the very conduct described in the referenced news articles (see Reference 19).
It is not logical to expect Attorney General Brenna Bird to protect children from what the evidence shows was interstate concealment and sexual abuse when the record also shows she traveled to New York to stand beside a man whom the Associated Press reported was found liable for sexual abuse in civil court (see Reference 8). At the same time, the evidence shows she supports a President with questionable ties to individuals and organizations that evidence indicates are involved in the sexual exploitation of children.
The Sailor’s Creed
I am a United States Sailor.
I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America
and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.
I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me
to defend freedom and democracy around the world.
I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment.
I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.
The sum of my work in this investigation has little to do with my military training, my education, or my obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has everything to do with Jesus Christ carrying me during moments when I wanted to give up while revealing a glowing thumb drive in darkness containing the Truth that was believed to have been lost.
“The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,“
Romans 5:20, New American Standard Bible
Respectfully,
Michael J. Merritt, USN (Ret.)Founder, Phoenix HarborWriter/MusicianOSINT/Information Warfare SpecialistInformation Systems Manager
2510 S 6th St. D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Matrix/Element
pyrebird@phoenixharbor.net (PGP)
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“The study of ethics is a pursuit of understanding the philosophical nature of right and wrong in its most perfect form. A society’s justice system is an ever-evolving pursuit of that perfection. Corruption is the cultural, political, or personal bias that overrules and interferes with that system.” Perfection, Flaws, and Corruption
Legal Disclaimer:Cipher Hunter (2025-00002035) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA. Cipher Hunter is a division within the Phoenix Harbor network of web properties.
This correspondence does not communicate, imply, or endorse any past, present, or future violation of the United States Code or the Iowa Code. It is submitted solely for the lawful purpose of documenting the lived experience of injustice and respectfully demanding adherence to our laws and the ethical standards and disciplinary procedures set forth by the Iowa Judicial Branch pursuant to Iowa Court Rules.
The section “The Sailor’s Creed” includes the United States Navy Sailor’s Creed including the very definition of honor, courage, and commitment to duty. The included video’s intent is to communicate a creative allegory supporting this creed and promise to the American people that no matter how dark the night becomes at sea or how many days have passed without fair winds and following seas we will stand this watch until every order is executed and every lawful act is completed until the completion of our mission and deployment.
This correspondence contains expressions of public sentiment and a redress of grievances protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America and by Article I, §§ 1, 2, and 7 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa.
