The White House is removing a federal regulation that subjects Office of Administration, which is in charge of archiving emails, to the Freedom of Information Act, claiming that court rulings find its office is not subject to the transparency law.
This comes on the heels of Hillary Clinton’s scandal where she stored years of state emails on her private server.
The exemption of the Office of Administration from the FOIA is listed in the Federal Register as a final rule, meaning that there will be no opportunity for public comment.
The timing of this removal brought some questions to the transparency advocates because it was on National Freedom of Information Day and during the debate over the preservation of Obama administration records. And it’s Sunshine Week, a week where news organization and watchdog groups bring issues of government transparency to the forefront.Anne Weismann of the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said:
“The irony of this being Sunshine Week is not lost on me.”
For 30 years, the Office of Administration has responded to FOIA requests. Until the Obama administration, groups on the left and right used the records to shed light on how the White House works.
“This is an office that operated under the FOIA for 30 years, and when it became politically inconvenient, they decided they weren’t subject to the Freedom of Information Act any more.” Tom Fitton from Judicial said.
CREW sued over e-mails that were deleted by the White House.
A federal appeals court in Washington ruled that the Office of Administration was not subject to the FOIA in 2009.
The appeals court ruled the White House would be required to archive the e-mails and not release them to the FOIA. Now the White House e-mails must be released under the Presidential Records Act, that will be five years after the end of the administration.
The rule change makes it so there will not be a formal process for the public to request the White House voluntarily disclose records. These records include the White House visitor logs.
The White House didn’t say why it waited almost six years to acknowledge the court ruling of regulations.
Brandi Hoffine, a White House spokeswoman says that the administration remains committed to work towards unprecedented openness in government. She stated:
“Over the past six years, federal agencies have gone to great efforts to make government more transparent and more accessible than ever, including by making information available to the public via our Open Government initiative and improving the FOIA process.”
Rick Blum, coordinator of the Sunshine in Government initiative for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was not happy with ruling. He says the bigger issue is the that the Office of Administration is responsible for record-keeping. With the Clinton e-mail controversy, there should be more scrutiny of the record-keeping practices he thought.
“I think what we’ve all learned in the last few weeks is the person who creates a record–whether it’s running a program or writing an e-mail–is the one who gets to decide whether it’s an official record,” Blum said. “And there ought to be another set of eyes on that. That’s the essential problem.”
bizy hacking the constitution.
More corrupt$#%&!@*it should not be allowed
Contempt of Congress should be charged against Obama.
Treason
Not even close to being legal!!!!!!!
One word……prison
another ILLEGAL move from another BLACM MFKR obama
I. Q. Score means ability to learn Vs. Not how much you know? Been said Einstein had only 1/10th of 1% of total knowledge! ( When a Legislature is in Session, u dare not sleep! Aka when the Cat (Citizen, taxpayer) is away, the Demo-Rats play! In 1965 (went into U.S.Army) no insurance ($$$$$) required on cars! Came back in 1967 & Rats had passed Cr00ked law requiring insurance on cars! Recall when we all paid our own Medical (Doctors & hospitals) debts–& insurance for such did not exist!? Recall Mafia used Extortion to force folks to pay Payola for Insurance so their Business or house would not be set on fire by Arson (a Felony Crime!)?! See “$” pic? Visit http://www.iccoin.com &/or http://www.GovMint.com & online Notre Dame Coin Museum for good pics & history. LOOk for coins of “HISPAN” aka New Spain coined 1772-1821; used in U. S. to 1857! )( N. Webster Dictionary online defines: VI’TIATE, v.t. [L. vitio. See vice and Viciate.]
1. To injure the substance or qualities of a thing, so as to impair or spoil its use and value. Thus we say, luxury vitiates the humors of the body; evil examples vitiate the morals of youth; language is vitiated by foreign idioms.
This undistinguishing complaisance will vitiate the taste of readers.
2. To render defective; to destroy; as the validity or binding force of an instrument or transaction. Any undue influence exerted on a jury vitiates their verdict. Fraud vitiates a contract. ( FREE’HOLDER, n. One who owns an estate in fee-simple, fee-tail or for life; the possessor of a freehold. Every juryman must be a freeholder.) FRAUD, n. [L. fraus.]
Deceit; deception; trick; artifice by which the right or interest of another is injured; a stratagem intended to obtain some undue advantage; an attempt to gain or the obtaining of an advantage over another by imposition or immoral means, particularly deception in contracts, or bargain and sale, either by stating falsehoods, or suppressing truth.. ( CASH, n. Money; primarily, ready money, money in chest or on hand, in bank or at command. It is properly silver and gold; but since the institution of banks, it denotes also bank notes equivalent to money. To pay in cash is opposed to payment in goods, commodities, or labor, as in barter.
CASH, v.t.
1. To turn into money, or to exchange for money; as, to cash a note or an order.
2. To pay money for; as, the clerks of a bank cash notes when presented.
( visit: http://www.jurypower.org http://www.fija.org call 1-800-Tel-Jury for free voter/juror edu info. & visit http://www.constitution.org
That’s ok. We the people are exempting ourselves from all Obama’s executive orders
They already exempted themselves from the unaffordable care act now this they actually think they are kings and queens. Sorry the is the USA and congress is supposed to listen to the people. Get this process stopped now. Voters all voters are you going to vote for HilLIARy while this is going on it proves they don’t want you to find out what is going on!