The Obama administration has long turned the president’s claim that he’d manage the most transparent presidency of all time into a sick joke. However, this might be a new low.
To celebrate National Freedom of Information Day, the Obama administration decided to exempt the Office of Administration from Freedom of Information Act requests.
The White House made the announcement on the first day of “Sunshine Week,” a week that’s supposed to celebrate openness in government.
The administration claimed that it’s consistent with court rulings that state the Office of Administration doesn’t need to comply with FOIA regulations.
And why not? I suppose once you’ve violated almost every aspect of the Constitution, it’s time to start violating some major federal laws.
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“The irony of this being Sunshine Week is not lost on me,” said Anne Weismann, spokeswoman from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal lobbying group. “It is completely out of step with the president’s supposed commitment to transparency.”
“That is a critical office, especially if you want to know, for example, how the White House is dealing with email.”
I think we know the White House’s policy on dealing with email. They let every cabinet-level official keep their own server in their home and use a private account.
Tom Fitton of conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch said that precedent has generally stated the Office of Administration must follow FOIA.
“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,” Fitton said (H/T BizPac Review),
Of course, the media is mostly ignoring the president’s decision to exempt his administration from one of the major laws enabling freedom of the press, instead continuing to pretend that Obama is the king of transparency.
They may have gotten one thing right — he is certainly a king. The second part of that statement, though, seems not to be operative.
Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter if you agree the media should start reporting on Obama’s total lack of transparency.
