President Barack Obama’s Justice Department held a closed door meeting Monday … on government transparency.
Even more ironic? The people who closed the doors were public liaisons – the people responsible for administering the nation’s Freedom of Information laws.
In fact, the whole point of the private meeting was to discuss what information the public was entitled to receive … or more likely, it was a meeting to discuss how to keep the public from receiving information it is entitled to receive.
From an editorial in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal:
It makes no sense for public officials to gather behind closed doors and discuss the people’s right to information, but that’s just what they did.
They used the time-honored excuse of those who prefer to conduct public business in private. They said they wanted government officials to be able to speak candidly, and that required them to meet in private.
This kind of decision is so ridiculous that it could only be made on the federal level …
… by holding the meeting in private, these officials tipped their hand. They aren’t really interested in giving citizens all the information to which they are entitled. If they were, the meeting would have been public.
Indeed … sort of like when the U.S. House went into a closed door session last year to discuss, of all things, domestic spying.
Sheesh.
Isn’t government shady and untrustworthy enough when the doors are open?
By laney December 10, 2009 at 11:37 am
I’m still waiting for the LIAR-IN-CHIEF to allow C-SPAN to film health care negotiations like Obama promised.
By Ynot December 10, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I’ve had FOIA requests go unacknowledged numerous times.
By Bozo December 10, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I think FOIA laws should have more teeth to them. People caught intentionally withholding information from taxpayer requests( like Climategate for instance) should spend time in prison.
Kings are entitled to meet in secrecy and discuss things behind closed doors- not elected officials.