Obama Admin-Style Transparency
Dylan Byers writes at Politico:
David Sanger, the New York Times reporter who has spent two decades reporting in Washington, says that the Obama administration is the "most closed, control-freak administration" he's ever covered.That criticism comes from a forthcoming report on U.S. press freedom written by former Washington Post editor Leonard Downie, Jr., in which he claims that national security reporters face "vast and unprecedented challenges" as a result of government surveillance, secrecy and "sophisticated control" of the news media's access to government.
In that report, which Downie previewed in a Post article on Friday, Sanger says that White House employees and intelligence agency staff were specifically told in 2012 to freeze and retain any correspondence they'd had with him. That directive came after Sanger published a 2012 story about U.S. and Israeli cyberattacks against Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities."
"A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and the intelligence agencies that told people to freeze and retain any e-mail, and presumably phone logs, of communications with me," Sanger told Downie. Now his sources tell him, "'David, I love you, but don't e-mail me. Let's don't chat until this blows over.' "
This may be "most closed, control-freak administration," but I think you could come up with better examples why than "Those bastards saved the e-mails I sent them!"
clinky at October 7, 2013 7:59 AM
"told people [agency employees] to freeze and retain any e-mail" with them.
Here is the memo from between the lines:
== ==
Keep all communications you have with David Sanger, and anyone else. We know who you phone, and maybe have a recording of what you say.
We may go through all of these in hindsight and identify ANY information which could be construed as a violation of any national security directives. We certainly will do this if we can accuse Sanger of anything. Then, we may prosecute you to the full extent of the law.
So, this is not a restriction of your free speech. Feel free to talk with David Sanger, within the limits of law and a free society.
== ==
EasyOpinions
Andrew_M_Garland at October 7, 2013 10:17 AM
Have you ever seen Bridenstine Questions President's Leadership statement?
The alphabet soup that calls itself the lamestream media would have showed it every night
if the same had been said of Bush. This is barely searchable in google.
But of course you have not heard a much about anything that he has mentioned. And somehow CNN can find a Benghazi attacker but the U.S. Government can't.
But I'm just an extremist that doesn't like Obama because of his race.
Jim P. at October 7, 2013 7:00 PM
Jim P.: You quote my comment, and then write a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with my comment. In my comment, I concede that this administration may be very controlling of it's information, but challenge the examples given in the post above (did you read the post?), because I don't think the saving of email is a very harsh accusation.
What if the opposite were true. What if the article quoted above had said "A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and the intelligence agencies that told people to delete any e-mail, and presumably phone logs, of communications with me." That would sound worse...
clinky at October 7, 2013 10:15 PM
"We know who you phone, and maybe have a recording of what you say."
We can safely assume, in light of the recent NSA revelations, that the quoted statement is not limited to office phones and computers.
Cousin Dave at October 8, 2013 5:40 PM
The links I posted were additional examples of how, between the Senate and White House, investigations have been stymied and blocked, but it has not really come up in the Fourth Estate (press).
So if they had deleted the e-mails your argument is just as invalid. It would not be worse or better. It just means that they are doing what they want and totally ignoring the press, and thereby the citizens.
Jim P. at October 8, 2013 7:56 PM
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