(Other) Obama INJustice Department Tries To Seize Control Of Public Records Arbitration.(
JW).In
a dangerous power grab that will jeopardize government transparency,
the Obama Justice Department wants to redefine federal public record
law so that it becomes the sole arbiter in disputes between agencies
and individuals who submit requests under the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA).
The unprecedented move
would give the Department of Justice (DOJ), an extension of the
executive branch, scary authority to determine if and how public
records are disseminated throughout government. It would also strip those duties from the agency— Office of Government Information Services
(OGIS)—that was created by Congress as a neutral party to mediate
FOIA disputes and assure compliance among all federal agencies.
This
is not the sort of story you’ll see in the mainstream media since, not
surprisingly, the Obama Administration is keeping it under the radar. However, Judicial Watch has obtained an inside congressional document outlining
the DOJ’s unscrupulous plot to become FOIA ombudsman. It comes from
one of the most influential and powerful chambers in the U.S. House of
Representatives, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
In
a letter addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder, the California
congressman who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Committee (Darrell Issa) says the proposed modification will have a negative impact on government transparency.
The letter also requests documents involving efforts to modify OGIS’s
statutorily established FOIA dispute resolution authority by shifting
the duties to the DOJ. Holder has until this week to comply with the committee’s request.
The House investigative committee also reminds Holder that the
DOJ’s proposal to become the referee for public records disputes
clearly contradicts Congress’s intent and is an apparent contravention
of FOIA law. “DOJ has important but limited statutory
responsibilities concerning the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA),”
the letter says.
“These responsibilities include making
information about agency FOIA programs publicly available; issuing
recommendations and guidelines to agency FOIA offices, and encouraging
agency FOIA compliance. DOJ’s responsibilities under FOIA, however,
do not include offering dispute resolution services between agencies
and FOIA requesters.”
Congress created the OGIS more than four
years ago as a crucial neutral party that offers a range of mediation
services to resolve public records disputes and to assure
government-wide compliance. The agency, which is headquartered at the
U.S. National Archives, has had tremendous success, directly helping
resolve more than 1,200 FOIA disputes from virtually every state. No wonder Issa asks Holder to “reconsider the proposed modification and comply with current law.”Hmmmm..........“Withholding
information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of
information is the tool of the dictatorship.” ~ Bruce Coville.Read the full story here.
Transparent Government. Only for Terrorists at Guatanomo. Welcome to another Obama promise denied.
