Watchdog group accuses VA of destroying documents on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among soldiers

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request in May of 2008 for records regarding PTSC among soldiers but has not received the relevant e-mails and records and now fear that the VA destroyed the documents. -db
AllGov
February 28, 2010
By Noel Brinkerhoff
After learning that the Department of Veterans Affairs [...]

Under Obama federal agencies still fighting record requests

The Washington Post reports that federal agencies are still balking at releasing records to the public, claiming that it would interfere with internal decision-making or compromise national security. In Obama’s first year, the number of Freedom of  Information Act lawsuits filed exceeds the number filed in each of Bush’s last two years. -DB
The Washington Post
January [...]

Post-Madoff: Group sues Securities and Exchange Commission for reform documents

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has sued the SEC for failing to provide records of reforms implemented in the wake of Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. -DB
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
January 7, 2010
By Amanda Becker
The government accountability group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sued the [...]

President earns mediocre marks on transparency

Despite his pledges to bolster open government, so far, according to Clint Hendler of the Columbia Journalism Review, President Barack Obama has only posted modest gains in transparency. -DB
Columbia Journalism Review
Opinion
January 05, 2010
By Clint Hendler
In the year since President Obama took office, he has made significant progress on transparency and access issues. Still, there have [...]

Millions of missing Bush administration e-mails turn up

White House computer technicians discovered 22 million e-mails lost during the Bush administration. Two groups had filed Freedom of Information Act requests for the e-mails in connection to the firing of U.S. attorneys and the Valerie Plame-CIA scandal. -DB
Wired
December 14, 2009
By Kim Zetter
White House computer technicians have found 22 million e-mails that were believed to [...]

Watchdog group seeks access to long sought White House visitor logs

Judicial Watch is suing the Secret Service for access to unreleased visitor legs requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The government cited national security concerns for some of the logs. -DB

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
December 10, 2009
By Miranda Fleschert

Mere weeks after the White House began publishing select visitor logs online, the conservative [...]

Government watchdog asks Senate to investigate use of ‘Secret Holds’

Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington has asked the Senate ethics committee to look into the practice of stalling or halting laws or nominations without public announcement given a 2007 law barring the practice. -DB
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Press Release
December 2, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today [...]

FBI releases former Vice President Cheney’s interview on outing of CIA agent

The transcript of Dick Cheney’s FBI interview on the Valerie Plame incident was released to the public last week. Both the Bush or Obama administrations tried to keep the transcript secret. -DB

Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press
November 2, 2009
By Amanda Becker

The FBI released documents under court order Friday that show former Vice President Dick [...]

Secret Service denies access to 2009 White House visitor records

After the Obama administration agreed to start releasing visitor logs starting December 31,  the watchdog group Judicial Watch was denied access to White House visitor logs from January 20 through September 15 of this year and does not understand why only these records merit protection. The Secret Service just says the records do not come [...]