Report: Bush Administration’s FOIA Compliance Deteriorating, Gonzales’ DoJ Most Secretive Agency
Report: Bush Administration’s FOIA Compliance Deteriorating, Gonzales’ DoJ Most Secretive Agency
After overcoming a hold placed by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the Senate unanimously passed the OPEN Government Act last week, which would expedite government agency responsiveness to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) hoped that the legislation would boost transparency in an administration characterized by stonewalling:
As the first major reform to FOIA in more than a decade, the OPEN Government Act will help to reverse the troubling trends of excessive delays and lax FOIA compliance in our government and help to restore the public’s trust in their government.
A new analysis from the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government documents the extent of the administration’s secrecy. The report notes “current government handling of FOIA requests is deteriorating” across the government agencies. Some highlights:
- Two of every five FOIA requests filed in 2006 were not processed.
- Number of exemptions cited to support the withholding of information has increased 83% since 1998.
- The number of FOIA denials increased 10% in 2006.
- Cost of processing FOIA requests is up 40 percent since 1998, even though agencies are processing 20 percent fewer requests.
- “Most people are waiting longer” for FOIA information.
Additionally, the report notes that the DOJ is “consistently granted the lowest percentage of [FOIA] appeals of any agency — only 4% in 2006.” The DOJ’s “rate of grant-making is down 70%” than that of President Clinton.
The administration’s refusal to comply with FOIA requests is particularly relevant to current investigations into major scandals. The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has used FOIA to gather information related to the administration’s e-mail destruction in the attorney scandal. Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff recently used a FOIA request to expose that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “has never addressed Dick Cheney’s failure to comply with the executive order on classified information.”
The report adds: “There has been a clear shift toward less disclosure by the current administration. When agencies did get around to responding, they were increasingly stingy.” In contrast, the “OPEN Government Act will help ensure that these important values [of transparency] remain a cornerstone of our American democracy,” said Leahy.
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Bush lied. “I will bring back honor and integrity to the White House”. Bush has lied to the American people. He has not brought back honor and integrity, he’s pushed us to the brink of crumbling.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:42 pmGood news for every American!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:44 pmGee, imagine that! The administration that wants to know everything about everyone at all times does not want anyone to know anything about what THEY do, ever. sarcasm off.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:44 pmUnfortunately, Leahy is making a career of f*rting into gale force winds.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:44 pmThe “Culture of Responsibility” marches on!
I wonder why they find it necessary to hide so much from the people they supposedly represent??
August 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmHe has not brought back honor and integrity, he’s pushed us to the brink of crumbling.
Comment by hellinabucket
You could say it’s gone to hell in a hand-baske… . . . .
August 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmBush lied when he was in short pants. bush lied in High School. Bush lied in college. Bush lied in business. Bush lied as governor of Texas. Only Republicans, America-haters that they are, would vote for such a scurrilous dog. Bush lies better than he breathes (remember the unsuccessful pretzel?). This bill is way too little, way too late. Arerst Bush and his cabinet, and try them for sedition and treason. A public trial will expose all of their crimes, adn the people will demand life in exile for the whole lot of them.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmFirst entry — “Oh, my. He’s the smartest man that I have ever met.”
Oh, wait. That was Harriet . . . how about “Oh, my. I’m sure glad I buried his DWI records or my ass would be grass right about now.”
August 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmSen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) hoped that the legislation would boost transparency in an administration characterized by stonewalling
Pass all the legislation you want–Bush will just cloister the information behind National Security or Executive Privilege.
Impeachment is the only remedy for this crisis. Come on, Sen. Wayne!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:47 pmCaption Contest
He’s so dreamy!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:50 pmCaption contest:
“I love it when you do that, ‘Berto…”
August 10th, 2007 at 2:52 pm“It’s fun for me too, Gee Gee….”
It seems like these frickin’ stories run on a continuous loop these days. Just one more report that says our republic is fading into a black cesspool of secrecy and deception.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:53 pmGood Article about the average Rush Limbaugh listener
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070810/ap_on_fe_st/odd_living_in_car;_ylt=AuIO9AOWpBQX7jPnuKSAffIuQE4F
hehehehehhehe
August 10th, 2007 at 2:56 pm#4… At least a gale would blow the offending odor away quickly. I feel like this administration has puilled the covers over the country and made one giant Dutch Oven.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:58 pmWhat will be interesting in an ongoing basis, is how many cases will be up for appeal that the Gonzo Goon Squad has shat upon. This will be a clean-up job that even Mr. Tidy Bowl will have to take steroids in order to get the streaks out.
One more BushCo waste dump that the Dems will have to sterilize when the adults show up in ‘09
August 10th, 2007 at 3:01 pmGot a caption for ya!
And this is why women can’t write their names in the snow the way men can!”
August 10th, 2007 at 3:03 pmCaption:
“he picked me!!! he picked me!!! out of all the boys he picked me!!!”
August 10th, 2007 at 3:09 pmHave you ever seen more man-love being generated than in that picture?? Gonzo must be beyond orgasmic release at that point.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:12 pmThe Left is at it again!!!
Giving away our Nations secrets to our enemies!!!
Why do Libs hate America?
August 10th, 2007 at 3:13 pmI think Gonzo is saying “you can’t get rid of me ‘cuz I’ve got the goods on you!”
That’s the only thing that explains all of this, Gonzo has got Bush by the whatevers.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:16 pmCaption:
“See I told you it was on the small side.”
August 10th, 2007 at 3:20 pmClearly, open government is passe. If government were transparent, the number of FOYIA requests would decline. Why no transparency?
August 10th, 2007 at 3:28 pmWho runs the DOJ?
Liars, Karl Rove and Coverup Artists.
Make no mistake. They are in full coverup mode.
They have been in full coverup mode since 2001,
July 2001… CHENEY Energy Task force, Enron..
And speaking of NEW JERSEY…
Democratic Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12) has been stonewalled in his efforts to get answers from the DOJ and the FBI about the status of investigations into the 2001 anthrax attacks on the federal government. The anthrax letters originated from his district.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/26/17724/7643
It doesnt take a rocket scientist to “connect the dots”.
The Anthrax letters came from inside the United States.
The letters contained a specific type of weaponized Anthrax made by a United States military lab
Right after 911 the Bush Administration tried to ram the USA PATRIOT Act through Congress.
And who got the letters…
Senators Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
The two people who were in a position to hold up the disingenuously named “Patriot Act”.
Find out who is blocking the Anthrax Investigation
and you find out the truth to save our Country..
Certainly if our Founding Fathers were here today..
The Patriots would have had them and all the traitors in jail or hanged BY NOW.
Get this story in the MAIN STREAM when Congress comes back in session
And STOP letting criminals and their treasonous media set ALL the talking points.
We are not the United States of Criminals and Coverup
August 10th, 2007 at 3:28 pmWe are the United States of America.
#18: There’s this one.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:31 pmi liked this line:
“When agencies did get around to responding, they were increasingly stingy.â€
“stingy”… a bit immature sounding… yet apropos to the circumstances…
August 10th, 2007 at 3:35 pmand not alot of wiggle room as to the meaning…
EVERYbody knows what stingy means…
…
And the signing statement will be two words.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:37 pmFu(k You!
The Left is at it again!!!
Giving away our Nations secrets to our enemies!!!
Why do Libs hate America?
Comment by p — August 10, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
It’s sad when the wingnuts like you are so extreme you can’t tell the difference between someone making fun of there extreme opinions and their real opinions.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:38 pmcaption:
August 10th, 2007 at 3:45 pm…. iiit’s a leopard G- string Alberto ….just what I wanted…..You really know how to make a girl happy….
Caption:
My Hero!
August 10th, 2007 at 3:52 pmGonzales is proof that we have a serious problem with allowing so many mexicans to become citizens.
Alberto Gonzales is an “Anchor baby” look it up.
reason why he doesn’t respect our system is because he’s not an AMERICAN!
August 10th, 2007 at 4:01 pmCaption:
Abu: I Love You!
Failure-In-Chief: I know.
August 10th, 2007 at 4:02 pmWhy don’t we just post nuclear launch codes at whitehouse.gov?
August 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pmp
August 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pm“Why don’t we just post nuclear launch codes at whitehouse.gov?”
Comment by m12
Safe enough, nobody goes there anyways……………..
August 10th, 2007 at 4:07 pm“Why don’t we just post nuclear launch codes at whitehouse.gov?â€
Comment by m12
Safe enough, nobody goes there anyways……………..
Whatever you do, don’t post them on whitehouse.com, though.
It’s a porn site where all the trolls that infest this board hang out in their spare time. One of those morons would surely stumble on the codes when they weren’t jacking off and — poof — nuclear annihilation!
August 10th, 2007 at 4:14 pmIt’s a porn site where all the trolls that infest this board hang out in their spare time. One of those morons would surely stumble on the codes when they weren’t jacking off and — poof — nuclear annihilation!
What, you think someone would deal with Tehran for us?
August 10th, 2007 at 4:15 pmWhy don’t we just post nuclear launch codes at whitehouse.gov?
Comment by m12 — August 10, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
Why don’t you just release nothing, and become a police state?
What, you think someone would deal with Tehran for us?
Comment by m12 — August 10, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Speaking of secretive police states you admire. Right on cue!
August 10th, 2007 at 4:53 pmCOMMIES ARE GETTING IN MY BODILY FLUIDS!!
August 10th, 2007 at 6:08 pmI’m sure many of us will have to agree that what’s in the news certainly seems insane but is there a REASON why? The WHY as I know it comes from being in a family for more than 26 years who joined Organized Crime shortly after marrying and this wasn’t any ordinary Crime System.
Their job is to launder “Drug and Gun Running” money straight into property using Big Banks with Mortgage Fraud. The Gun Running part is already in the news with Chiquita and Drummond who I know from the family were part of the WHY and WHAT they were laundering and there are others too. But what many don’t know is that there is a huge Drug part that involves weekly $100 million dollar shipments coming into the US through Mexico across the Texas border. This shipment is split up between Illinois, New York and Florida as told to me in the 90’s. If you add this up, it’s more than 5Billion a year and there are other shipments to other parts of the US and it also includes Europe too.
As explained, the “Drug part” actually provides the needed cash to fuel the Criminal part of a planned Coup which is what we are experiencing now. It’s been in the making for decades and involves some of the same group that took part in the last Coup tried in 1933. It’s on the net so look it up. However please keep in mind that this Coup involves many more than what happened in 1933 as they often brag that this is “The World’s Largest Criminal System”.
Please accept that there is something else that is planned and has been planned for a long time.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:15 pmdidn’t the bush family own chiquita brands at one time?
August 10th, 2007 at 8:20 pmOk, this one’s easy. The Department of JUSTICE is the most secretive, however, a WISE man once said: ‘the bigger and the more complicated the rulebook, the worse the organisation’. Now tell me how good the organisation that is the US is…… can we grade below zero on this one?
August 11th, 2007 at 8:20 amWe’re going to have to start treating FOIA like we do credit bureau reporting. Assume it’s erroneous and mishandled. So: Once every year, every thoughtful American citizen should file a FOIA request for his or her FBI file, TSA file and so on. Then maybe we’ll eventually have critical mass for a national class action suit against these clownish eliteists.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:59 am