Cheney lawyer told Secret Service to "eliminate data" on visitors to VP residence
In response to CREW's lawsuit over access to what should be public records, we learned that Vice President Cheney's lawyer told the Secret Service that visitor logs were his records, not theirs. That meant Cheney could prevent any public access. Before you read the AP article, know CREW's position according to our counsel, Anne Weismann: "The latest filings make clear that the administration has been destroying documents and entering into secret agreements in violation of the law."
A lawyer for Vice President Dick Cheney told the Secret Service in September to eliminate data on who visited Cheney at his official residence, a newly disclosed letter states.
The Sept. 13, 2006, letter from Cheney's lawyer says logs for Cheney's residence on the grounds of the Naval Observatory are subject to the Presidential Records Act.
Such a designation prevents the public from learning who visited the vice president.
The Justice Department filed the letter Friday in a lawsuit by a private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, seeking the identities of conservative religious leaders who visited Cheney at his official residence.
The newly disclosed letter about visitors to Cheney's residence is accompanied by an 18-page Secret Service document revealing the agency's long-standing practice has been to destroy printed daily access lists of visitors to the residence.
Separately, the agency says it has given Cheney's office handwritten logs of who visits him at his personal residence.
Because of pending lawsuits, the Secret Service says it is now keeping copies of all material on visitors to Cheney's residence. According to the Secret Service document, Cheney's office has approved the agency's retention of the records, while maintaining they are presidential records subject to Cheney's control.
"The latest filings make clear that the administration has been destroying documents and entering into secret agreements in violation of the law," said Anne Weismann, CREW's chief counsel.
Questions: 1. Does
Questions:
1. Does Presidential Records Act cover Cheney's office or hisresidence. I don'tthink so.
2. Is the lawyer citedin the article a private atttorney hired by Cheney? If so why is he talking to SS about records covered under the act if he is representing Cheney as a private attorney?
I seem to recall
that before taking office, one GWB announced that his office would usher in new era of transparency in government. Of course, he also promised to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, shun the politics of personal destruction and govern like adults.
GWB also said, "You can tell the character of a man by the company he keeps." Well, I guess you can't be wrong all the time.
Transparency
With all the questionable legal maneuvers, feined losses of memory, and document destruction there's just nothing to see here. The essence of transparency.
Cheney's dodge
Here we see Dick Cheney causing the unlawful destruction of public records which no doubt incriminate him. He thinks that, by dodging behind an attorney, he can escape the consequences of this grave Misdemeanor.
Rick Perry, George Bush's hand-picked governor for the State of Texas, made a public promise last fall to support religion by contributions from the state treasury.
Texas is the fitting room where these sort of things are tried on, and so it can be understood that Perry was following the instructions of Bush in this.
We soon will discover who of our religious leaders hate corruption and who delight in it.
Secret Service and Cheney BOTH GUILTY
If Cheney has no right to destroy or order the destruction of public documents/logs, then the Secret Service should have refused to destroy the logs. To have done so makes them as guilty as Cheney. Does anyone or any agency involved with this administration have any morals or guts? Why is this administration (and so many organizations both federal and private connected with this administration) allowed to break the law so frequently with such impunity? Where are the FBI and federal prosecutors? What are they doing while all this is happening under their noses? Why isn't the media plastering these crimes across front pages and lead news stories? This reeks of a facist police state where the government, corporations and media are all one, owned and controlled by the fascist dictator and his minions which has become SO very obvious in the last few years... The 2008 elections should be verrrrry interesting.
SS chief re-thinks
note that above it says that the SS is now keeping copies of logs because of pending lawsuits. He seems to have re-thought his situation - see what the light of day does to these creatures who thrive in the dark! It turns them into clean law-abiding officials.
Note that Cheney says he "agrees" with this, but still claims ownership of these documents. A nice legal battle shaping up to expose to the public the heart and soul of the administration.
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Archivist Has A Say On What Is Disclosed Outside VP Control
Cheney can't make an "agreement" to destroy documents, when it is up to the archivist, not Cheney, to decide what information is in the public interest to disclose.
44 USC 2207: "the Archivist may, when the Archivist determines that it is in the public interest, enter into an agreement for the deposit of Vice-Presidential records in a non-Federal archival depository."
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode44/usc_sec_44_00002207----000-.html
As with the US Attorney firings and politicication of DOJ, the Archivist position has become politicized: Hide evidence of illegal activity. This isn't compliance with anything, but a cover-up of illegal activity.