Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has apparently ‘lost’ emails from witnesses to the botched federal Obamacare rollout last year.
“The Obama administration has lost or destroyed emails for more than 20 witnesses, and in each case, the loss wasn’t disclosed to the National Archives or Congress for months or years, in violation of federal law,” stated Darrell E. Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“Yet again, we discover that this administration will not be forthright with the American people unless cornered,” Mr. Issa said.
Aaron Albright, a spokesman for Ms. Tavenner, said the “vast majority” of her emails are likely retrievable and more than 71,000 that have been identified might be responsive to the subpoena.
He said that set of emails has no “significant chronological gaps.”
But HHS didn’t inform the National Archives of the lost emails until Wednesday, a day before the department told Congress.
“Based on a recent analysis of emails (which was completed on July 31, 2014) undertaken in connection with a request from a congressional committee, it appears that most, but not all, of the Administrator’s email records were sent within HHS and therefore were likely saved within HHS records,” Kathleen Cantwell, an HHS records management official, said in an official notification to the Archives.
“While we have not identified any specific emails that we will be unable to retrieve, it is possible that some emails may not be available to HHS, and we are therefore filing this memorandum,” she wrote.
HHS said it didn’t know for sure that records were lost, but it was filing the notice “out of an abundance of caution.”
The IRS took heat this year for failing to inform the Archives that some of Ms. Lerner’s emails were destroyed in a 2011 computer hard-drive crash. Under federal rules, the Archives must be notified whenever potential official records required to be stored for posterity are lost.
In Ms. Lerner’s case, the Justice Department is looking into the loss of emails as part of a broader criminal investigation into IRS targeting of conservative groups.
Mr. Obama took office promising to make transparency a priority, but his agencies have come under fire repeatedly for delays and problems with meeting open records laws.
Source: washingtontimes.com
Photo: HHS Photo by Chris Smith
Lost? And I didn’t have sex with that woman. So sad that so many just believe what they’re told.
Can you say Corruption. How about we throw them all in jail till the e-mails are found?
Let’s see, two government agencies under investigation and both lose e-mails when subpoenaed. Coincidence I think obstruction of justice is more like it. Jail time for all involved!!!!
One of these SOB’s need to be sent to jail so the rest will get the message. As long as all these ass wipes in congress just talk and take no action, nothing will come out of these investigations. These GOP congressmen need to grow a pair and do their job!
This is the most corrupt administration in our history. Criminal charges now! It’s just another cover up.
AMEN,,,, OMAR RIVERA
They are all with Lois Lerner obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. How many are in prison for such things as this?
What a joke!
What a house of cards! A normal one would have toppled years ago.
violated federal law, Why isn’t some one in jail?