Live Free or Die” Meets “We’ll Get Back to You”: Inside NH’s Right-to-Know Playbook

New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know law promises that government records belong to the public. This episode is what happens when you actually try to collect.Over two weeks, our research team filed records requests with the State of New Hampshire and the City of Concord — about the state forensic laboratory, a criminalist named Kevin McMahon, an internal affairs policy, and a grant check the city signed with its own hand. What came back wasn’t transparency. It was technique.In this episode, I break down four moves — by name, with the actual letters on screen — so you’ll recognize them the next time your government throws one at you:* The Hot Potato — your concern gets quietly forwarded to the very agency it’s about* The Empty Drawer — the wrong office truthfully says it has nothing, and doesn’t tell you where the right one is* The Slow Clock — nobody says no, the answer just arrives after it stops mattering (mark your calendar: September 25, 2026)* The Preemptive Maybe — the exemption gets floated before anyone’s even searchedAnd underneath all four moves sits a real question with a paper trail: sworn 2014 testimony about DNA contamination and a 2011 suspension, a 2024 disciplinary ruling that never mentions either — and a decade of trials in between where a jury may never have heard the difference.Every request is filed. Every deadline is written down. This show will be here when they come due.Receipts over vibes — always.🎙️ New episode of The Gracie Gato Podcast is live. Get full access to The Gracie Gato Podcast at gracieformermrsgato.substack.com/subscribe