<\/p>\n
Former Bexar County employee Joseph Brantley poses for a portrait in his home in Universal City on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Brantley was recently designated a “Zealous Requestor,” a new policy by the city identifying those who file large numbers of record requests.<\/p>\n
Clint Datchuk<\/p>\n
Joseph Brantley had a few bones to pick after he resigned from his job helping manage Bexar County\u2019s budget nearly two years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old Army veteran believed he hadn\u2019t been paid fairly, and that his bosses had worked him too hard and sabotaged his efforts to find another job. He felt wronged and was looking for a way to balance the scales.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Brantley found it in a right that belongs to every American: requesting government records. Since July, he has flooded county government with hundreds of open records requests.<\/a><\/p>\n He has acknowledged that he started blitzing the Bexar County Courthouse with such requests out of spite. But he says his motivation now is higher-minded\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s about informing the public.<\/p>\n Brantley is billing himself a \u201ccitizen journalist.\u201d His vehicle is a Facebook page where he posts frequently inflammatory stories about county government based on the records he gets his hands on.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now he wants to prove to county officials\u00a0that he\u2019s a member of the media.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Why? Because he wants to get around restrictions Bexar County Commissioners Court imposed last fall on so-called \u201czealous requestors\u201d to rein in a surge in records requests \u2014 which was largely driven by\u00a0Brantley.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: One man is bombarding Bexar County with public record requests. Here\u2019s why.<\/a><\/p>\n The policy targets anyone who submits more than 15 open records requests in a month or 36 in a calendar year. Once someone hits that threshold, they\u2019re notified of their \u201czealous\u201d status. When county staffers spend a total of 36 hours in one year, with no more than 15 hours in a single month,\u00a0 tracking down the documents for such requesters, the county can start charging them for the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the five months since the policy went into effect, Brantley is the only person who\u2019s been designated a zealous requester. Well, Brantley and \u201cAudie Kyle\u201d\u00a0\u2014 an alias that he uses to file records requests to get around the limits.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas’ open records law says that professional journalists are exempt from any policies that cap how much time staff can spend on records requests. Anyone who makes a \u201csubstantial portion\u201d of their livelihood by publishing news or does so for \u201csubstantial financial gain\u201d is exempt from the rules.<\/p>\n So, earlier this month, Brantley started pushing for the county to strip his \u201czealous\u201d label, arguing that his Facebook page, called \u201cCitizen Veteran Journalists of\u00a0Bexar County,\u201d has grown so big that he qualifies as a journalist.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor a platform that has existed for only a few months, the scale of CVJ\u2019s audience reach and investigative output reflects a rapidly growing journalism operation focused on government transparency and public accountability,\u201d he said in an email to county officials.<\/p>\n Joseph v. Larry<\/p>\n Brantley\u2019s campaign to change his status to journalist started on March 9 with an email to Larry\u00a0Roberson, the head of the Bexar County District Attorney\u2019s office\u2019s civil division. It was in response to a notification that Audie Kyle, one of a handful of aliases he uses to file requests, had been designated a zealous requester.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Brantley wrote that his Facebook page had racked up 5 million page views, and he described his page as a \u201cmonetized journalism platform.\u201d Therefore, he\u2019s just like any other reporter, he said.<\/p>\n Brantley started the Facebook page in October, and it has since picked up\u00a05,000 followers.\u00a0Brantley said he could make money off his page through a program for popular posters that Facebook launched in 2024. A dashboard attached to his page says he\u2019s eligible to make between $4 and $9 for some of his posts. But\u00a0Brantley said he hasn\u2019t taken money for any of his posts.<\/p>\n ALSO READ:\u00a0Why did Bexar County fire the head of its veterans services office?<\/a><\/p>\n He does not meet the 10,000-follower minimum for creators on Facebook to make money off advertisements in videos. And he doesn\u2019t advertise himself or offer subscriptions, which some Facebook content creators use to generate revenue.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Roberson responded the next day, refusing Brantley\u2019s request to be exempt from the policy. He said that regardless of how many views Brantley is getting, he didn\u2019t prove that his Facebook page helps him earn a living.<\/p>\n What followed was a back-and-forth between Brantley and Roberson that lasted two days, though most of it took place while Roberson was in his usual front-row seat at that Tuesday\u2019s Commissioners Court meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brantley asked Roberson for proof that the county had vetted reporters from mainstream outlets in town to make sure their journalism pays the bills. Roberson said he can only get such information if he submits an open records request. Brantley obliged within minutes.<\/p>\n Roberson pointed out that he has submitted about 1,000 requests from \u201cnumerous aliases or alter egos.\u201d But the main roadblock to Brantley being treated like a journalist is that he hasn\u2019t proven that he makes any money off his Facebook page.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE: For unlimited digital access and a paywall-free experience, purchase a digital subscription<\/a><\/p>\n In an email to\u00a0Brantley, Roberson said \u201cself-identification as a member of the media isn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n The ping pong-style email exchange was inconclusive.\u00a0<\/p>\n Roberson said in an interview that Brantley is wrong to think that he\u2019s a \u201cnewly crowned journalist\u201d who is just like the reporters from newspapers and TV stations who submit records requests to\u00a0Bexar County.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He spoke disparagingly\u00a0of Brantley’s posts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe makes inferences, allegations. He criticizes. He insults. He doesn\u2019t do any investigation. He\u2019s not bringing any stories to the public \u2014 he\u2019s insulting,\u201d Roberson said. \u201cHe\u2019s defaming. He doesn\u2019t tell a story. He complains about individuals, or what he\u2019s not getting or believes to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n Brantley uploads all the documents he obtains to a public Dropbox folder, but it’s generally his writings that grab his followers’ attention. His posts are studded with emojis, all-cap declarations and accusations aplenty. He has accused Sheriff Javier Salazar of lying about whether outside law enforcement agencies investigated the 2019 Anaqua Springs murders of a mother and her two daughters. He blasted a constable for allegedly campaigning on county time. He mocked a sheriff\u2019s deputy and congressional candidate whose gun was stolen while he was off duty.<\/p>\n Lately, Brantley\u2019s range has widened. He has posted candidate questionnaire responses from district clerk hopefuls. He also publishes bios of people he dubs \u201clegends of local government,\u201d like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n ALSO READ:\u00a0Diana ‘DeeDee’ Fuentes was natural leader, champion of journalism and newsroom diversity<\/a><\/p>\n ‘His job isn’t Facebook’<\/p>\n In February, the DA\u2019s office\u2019s civil section, which Roberson leads, took over the county\u2019s handling of public records requests in an effort to improve its ability to meet the 10-day deadline required by state law.<\/p>\n In a March 24 email to Roberson, Brantley tried a different approach. He temporarily dropped the journalist argument, contending instead that disabilities related to his military service affect his \u201cability to navigate opaque, undefined, or discretionary administrative processes,\u201d such as the county\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Roberson repeated that Brantley still hadn\u2019t proven that he qualifies for the exemption under state law.<\/p>\n This time, Roberson pointed out that Brantley has a day job at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, and he often submits records request during work hours. He said if\u00a0Brantley could prove that his records requests had to do with his job, he might qualify for the exemption, since Texas’ open records law also has an exemption for scholars.<\/p>\n \u201cHis job isn\u2019t Facebook,\u201d Roberson said in an interview. \u201cHis job is to work for a university.\u201d<\/p>\n Brantley said Bexar County should be more concerned about elected officials he alleges are using county work time for political activities than about whether he submits his records requests at his day job\u00a0as a budget manager at the university.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Brantley seems to relish the role he thinks Bexar County has cast him in: villain. After receiving three letters from the county about his records requests, he declared himself the holder of \u201cTRIPLE OG ZEALOUS REQUESTOR STATUS.\u201d He often shares an AI-generated cartoon of a figure in military garb bearing his Facebook page’s name\u00a0punching a suited man labeled \u201ccounty\u201d in the face.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Immigration crackdown stokes fear, absences in San Antonio schools<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOh no, Bexar County, dont tell everyone that I\u2019m a zealous man who fights the government too much\u2026I\u2019d hate to look too fkn cool,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n The page has its fans. In the page’s reviews, people praise Brantley\u2019s \u201ccommitment to transparency and public accountability\u201d and \u201crevealing answers to what we are all wondering.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Others are less impressed, criticizing his posts as thinly verified and largely written by ChatGPT. Brantley relies on the AI chatbot to write records requests, sift through long documents and craft most of his posts.<\/p>\n One commenter said Brantley’s \u201cdemeanor is that of a spoiled child.\u201d<\/p>\n Brantley has jabbed at Roberson personally on his Facebook page. He\u2019s attacked him for contracting with outside law firms to help the county with legal matters. He wrote that his \u201copen records requests have provided more value\u201d to Bexar County than Roberson\u2019s \u201centire career\u201d and referred to him as \u201cLeisure Suit Larry,\u201d a reference to an adult-themed video game character.<\/p>\n Roberson said the insults have nothing to do with stance on Brantley.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve it or not, I have been insulted by many people,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘I don\u2019t really care’<\/p>\n Brantley left his job at the county\u2019s budget office in the summer of 2024. He later filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportuntiy Commission arguing he was \u201cconstructively discharged\u201d after being overworked and denied workload reductions he sought to manage combat-related mental health issues.<\/p>\n His allegations haven\u2019t gained traction with federal agencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The EEOC declined to look into the case and said Brantley could sue instead. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice declined to take up another complaint Brantley filed with the Department of Labor, arguing that the county had violated a federal law that protects the employment rights of veterans by allegedly not paying him on par with his colleagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n