“The Secretary Said You’re Not Welcome Here”: Five Years of Abandonment, Then Assault
What Happens Next & How to Follow This Story
This investigation is ongoing. The November 11, 2025 incident occurred just one week ago. The FOIA requests have been filed. The formal complaints are now in the hands of federal oversight bodies. Congressional offices have been notified.
Now we wait to see whether the system will workâor whether it will fail again.
What We’re Watching For
Over the coming weeks and months, True Signal Media will be tracking multiple parallel processes:
FOIA Responses (Expected: December 2025 – January 2026)
What we’re waiting for:
- State Department’s acknowledgment of our November 16 FOIA request (due within 20 business days)
- Decision on expedited processing request
- Production of CCTV footage from November 11, 2025
- Production of security incident reports (or confirmation that none exist)
- Production of consular case file for Kelvin Blas
- Production of communications between guard and embassy leadership
- Production of visitor logs documenting witness presence
- Production of any documents about “online tarnishing” of embassy reputation
What we’ll report:
- Whether State Department meets statutory deadlines
- What evidence they produce (or claim doesn’t exist)
- Any exemptions they claim to withhold records
- Whether produced records corroborate or contradict witness accounts
- Any evidence of cover-up or records destruction
Bureau of Diplomatic Security Investigation (Timeline: Unknown)
What we’re waiting for:
- DS acknowledgment of our November 18 complaint
- Whether DS opens formal investigation
- Whether DS interviews witnesses
- Whether DS reviews CCTV footage and security reports
- DS findings and recommendations
What we’ll report:
- Whether DS takes the complaint seriously or dismisses it
- Whether DS investigation is thorough or superficial
- DS findings about use of force, documentation failures, and threats against Sgt. Blas
- Any disciplinary actions or policy changes recommended
GAO Investigation (Timeline: Months to Years)
What we’re waiting for:
- GAO acknowledgment of our November 18 complaint
- Whether GAO opens investigation of waste and mismanagement
- Whether GAO investigates State OIG’s blocking of Covenant for Forgotten Warriors
- Whether GAO examines broader pattern across multiple embassies
- GAO report and recommendations
What we’ll report:
- GAO’s findings about cost of abandonment vs. cost of assistance
- Whether GAO identifies systemic problems beyond Embassy Lomé
- GAO’s recommendations for improving consular services and oversight
- Whether State Department implements GAO recommendations
CIGIE Investigation of State OIG (Timeline: Unknown)
What we’re waiting for:
- CIGIE acknowledgment of our November 18 complaint
- Whether CIGIE investigates State OIG’s blocking of Covenant for Forgotten Warriors
- Whether State OIG unblocks our organization
- CIGIE findings about whether State OIG violated accessibility requirements
- Any corrective actions or discipline for State OIG personnel
What we’ll report:
- Whether CIGIE holds State OIG accountable for blocking complaints
- Whether this reveals broader patterns of State OIG inaccessibility
- What reforms are recommended to ensure OIG complaint mechanisms work
Congressional Response (Timeline: Varies)
What we’re waiting for:
- Congressional offices’ acknowledgment of notifications
- Whether any committee opens oversight inquiry
- Whether congressional inquiries are sent to State Department
- Whether hearings are scheduled
- Whether legislation is proposed to strengthen accountability
What we’ll report:
- Which members of Congress engage on this issue
- What questions Congress asks State Department
- How State Department responds to congressional pressure
- Any legislation or policy changes that result
Kelvin Blas’s Status
Most importantly, we’ll be tracking:
- Whether Sgt. Blas receives the consular assistance he’s entitled to
- Whether he’s issued emergency travel documents
- Whether his passport is returned by Togolese authorities
- Whether he’s able to return home to the United States
- Whether he receives any compensation for five years of abandonment
- Whether embassy staff follow through on threats to arrest him if he seeks help again
The ultimate measure of success: Does Kelvin Blas get home?
How You Can Follow This Story
True Signal Media is committed to following this story until there is resolutionâeither accountability and reform, or clear documentation that all oversight mechanisms have failed.
Subscribe to Updates
Get notifications when we publish updates on this investigation:
Subscribe to True Signal MediaWe’ll send updates when:
- State Department responds to FOIA requests
- Federal oversight bodies release findings
- New evidence emerges
- Congressional action is taken
- Kelvin Blas’s status changes
Support Covenant for Forgotten Warriors
Covenant for Forgotten Warriors is the nonprofit organization advocating for Sgt. Blas and other abandoned Americans abroad.
They provide:
- Direct advocacy for stranded veterans
- Documentation and case management
- FOIA requests and legal complaints
- Coordination with congressional offices
- Emergency financial assistance when possible
Contact Your Representatives
Congressional oversight is essential to holding the State Department accountable.
If you’re concerned about how U.S. embassies treat American citizens abroad, contact your senators and representative:
- Ask them to inquire with the State Department about the Kelvin Blas case
- Request oversight hearings on consular services and embassy accountability
- Support legislation to strengthen protections for U.S. citizens abroad
- Demand that State OIG be held accountable for blocking advocacy organizations from filing complaints
Share This Story
Public attention creates pressure for accountability.
If you found this investigation valuable:
- Share it on social media
- Send it to journalists who cover State Department issues
- Forward it to veteran organizations
- Discuss it with people who care about government accountability
The more people who know about this case, the harder it becomes for the State Department to ignore it.
What We Need From You
If You Have Information
Do you have information relevant to this investigation?
We want to hear from you if:
- You are one of the civilian witnesses to the November 11 incident
- You are a current or former employee of U.S. Embassy Lomé
- You are another American who has been denied services at Embassy Lomé
- You work at another embassy and have witnessed similar patterns
- You have documents or evidence relevant to this case
- You have expertise in consular law, diplomatic security, or government accountability
Contact True Signal Media:
Email: [email protected]
We can discuss confidentiality, source protection, and how your information can contribute to this investigation.
If You’re Also Stranded
Are you a U.S. citizen being denied consular services at a U.S. embassy?
Contact Covenant for Forgotten Warriors:
Website: Covenant for Warriors – Services & Scope
Email: [email protected]
CFW can help you:
- Document your case
- File FOIA requests for your records
- Submit formal complaints to oversight bodies
- Coordinate with congressional offices
- Connect with other advocacy organizations
You don’t have to face this alone.
Why We’re Doing This
True Signal Media was founded on the principle that government accountability requires persistent, systematic journalism. Not hot takes or quick reactions, but thorough investigations that follow stories until there is resolution.
The case of Kelvin Blas and U.S. Embassy Lomé is exactly the type of story that needs sustained attention:
- It involves a clear violation of law and policy
- It has multiple witnesses and documentary evidence
- It reveals systemic failures in oversight mechanisms
- It affects not just one person, but potentially many Americans
- It requires holding powerful institutions accountable
This is not a story that will be resolved in one news cycle. The State Department will not issue a press release admitting wrongdoing. Embassy Lomé will not voluntarily reform its practices. State OIG will not unblock Covenant for Forgotten Warriors without pressure.
Changeâif it comesâwill come slowly, through:
- FOIA requests that force transparency
- Formal complaints that create accountability trails
- Congressional pressure that demands responses
- Public attention that makes inaction costly
- Persistent journalism that refuses to let the story die
That’s our commitment: we will follow this story until there is resolution. We will report what federal agencies doâor fail to do. We will document whether oversight works or fails. And we will keep asking the question that matters most:
Will Kelvin Blas get home?
Stay Tuned
This investigation is just beginning. We have filed the FOIA requests, submitted the formal complaints, and notified the oversight bodies. Now we watch to see whether the system works.
True Signal Media will publish updates as developments occur. Subscribe to follow this story as it unfolds.
Follow This Investigation
Subscribe to True Signal Media Visit Covenant for Forgotten Warriors Return to TSM HomepageThis investigation was published November 18, 2025.
Reporter: True Signal Media investigative team
Research support: Covenant for Forgotten Warriors
Source documents: FOIA requests filed November 16, 2025; formal complaints filed November 18, 2025
Witnesses: Six individuals with knowledge of November 11, 2025 incident
If you have information relevant to this investigation, contact us at [email protected]