The White House has ignored, if not outright flouted, its record keeping obligations
Today’s hearing before the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform revealed the extraordinary degree to which the White House has ignored, if not outright flouted, its record keeping obligations. Several key points bear emphasis:
- The White House was told when it was planning the change to a new system (Microsoft Exchange) in 2001 that it would need a new electronic record keeping system because the system then in use (ARMS) was tied to Lotus Notes;
- In 2002, when the White House made the change to Microsoft/Exchange, it set up a temporary, stop-gap measure to preserve emails but it was never intended to be (nor is it) a substitute for an electronic record keeping system;
- In October 2005 the White House learned it had a big problem with millions of missing email;
- In 2007 the Archives told the White House the method it was using to store emails was not adequate; and
- To date, as CIO Theresa Payton admitted today, the White House has still not put in place an electronic record keeping system.
Moreover, despite the fact that the White House prepared a detailed analysis in late 2005 of the missing email problem with a plan of recovery, it has now decided to go back to the drawing board -- Theresa Payton announced a three-phase project to re-examine the missing email problem that has no realistic chance of being completed before this president leaves office.
At today’s hearing, two White House officials -- OA’s Director Alan Swendiman and OA’s CIO Theresa Payton – revealed, by their testimony, that the White House has no interest in addressing the record keeping problems that have plagued this administration. Instead it is hoping to run out the clock with its multi-phase diagnostic process, which at best will only confirm what we already know: millions of email are missing and the White House has a grossly inadequate method for preserving the historical records of this presidency, records that belong to the American public.
Rather than coming up with solutions to a clear problem, the White House officials were more interested in impugning the character of a former OA employee who had provided Chairman Waxman’s committee with pages and pages of detailed explanations of what happened and what the White House did or did not do about it.
We expect more from our public officials. Sadly, after today’s hearing we are no closer to finding out when the White House will put in place an electronic record keeping system and when it will restore the missing emails.
youre stupid
you can't spell. use punctuation. the end. p.s. get a job.
In the meantime
Guess you'll have to FOIA any/all organizations that might have emails/attachments that were sent to or received from the White House in the meantime.
Why wait and find out later they were deleted by the White House and/or by organizations with whom the White House corresponded?
Better FOIA emails/attachments and the retention policies of any/all organizations with whom the White House might have corresponded, public and private.
Don't forget the NSA; they have copies of everything, domestic and foreign since early 2001.
Too bad the White House can't be more helpful.
The Missing White House Emails
I just wanted to give you folks a Huzzah! for the great dynamite bombshells you CREW folks gave us on the Missing White House Emails today.
Over at Emptywheel's place (http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/), we've been in 7th Heaven picking apart the various Waxman committee documents all afternoon.
If you get a chance, stop by and take a bow!
MadDog
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Governments in Canada are refusing to help WOMEN...
Women in Ontario particular in the North are dealing with no housing and no affordable housing for working class people.. Does that make a lot of Sense to not provide affordable housing to people who work in the cold tempatures in the North just so Rich Landlords can profit while low income min. wage earners have no money after working for low wages and everything has to go to pay rich landlords and governement high taxes in Ontario. When nothing is working not the police doing there job against crimes as I know I have had to live with many criminals and crimes forced to live in a violent home because there is no affordable housing and you call the police and they do nothing in Barrie Ontario... and you call shelter and you get rude comments and sarcastic women working in shelter and politicians they are just arrogant and not willing to look into anything for your.. they might have to actually work and do something for there pay cheque. Employment disabiled women are abused by bully governments not willing to increase disability cheque to accommadate the high rents so you are surrounded basically with people who collect a huge pay cheque sitting in offices answering the phone but refusing to do a thing for citizens that call to ask for help with fighting the walls of Ontario Steel Minded Politicians and there buddies running business with no interest in doing anything they should be doing but passing the buck on to other charities that have seen the abuse to Ontario Canada people and know that these offices are not working but there is nothing any one will do to go up against the systems that are not working and offices that are not producing good results for citizens trapped in this endless phone calls and getting nothing but answering machines that when they do call you back it is months later and still no one is willing to make a stand and open a door for housing or for employment. Yet they are employed and they have money for there charities to keep them comfortable and even shelter women are abusive to other women in need of help.. Like Dorthy in Barrie Shelter for women.. Telling women to stay in abusive relationship because she has nothing to offer.. That is insane this women is advising me to stay in a relationship as she refuses to fight for a apartment for women supply funds so women can move out of shelters into there own single apartment and telling me I should share a home with someone or live in these small rooms that are illegal in Barrie that the home owners rent out for outragious prices and are not inspected by the Mayors office or city inspectors every thing is just swept under the carpet because home owners can not afford there mortgages any more without renting out a room in there home so city officials are allowing this in Barrie Ontario and government just turn there heads. Well this is not right and Canada needs to get moving and not depend on citizens to just live without any regulation in Housing industry and allow owners of private homes to do what ever they want making it so hard on low income people again to have a roof over there head.. This is not helping the preventions of homeless people and that is main problem in Canada Government institutions are not working and the systems in the courts are broken and the laws there is no laws for low income earners this is not fair and governments should stop fooling everyone that Ontario is a good place to live.. Nothing is working for working class low income single women who need help and are not getting because the greedy rich are not working and just passing the buck to other so they can collect a pay cheque and even shelter women going on holiday and never in and are jsut blaming women to keep them in a job and avoid doing anything about this known broken system that women are faced with to deal with and also remember they are calling because they are being abused even by the ones that are suppost to love them and they turn in to mosters as there are many men today in Ontario that need a second income and so they date women on dating services to get second incomes not for anything but manipulating a women into there life as the last one they abused so bad she left. Middle aged men going through women because they can... as there is nothing to stop them as courts do nothing and goverments are to lazy and ignorant to care about abused and low income single women struggling in systems that are not supporting women in any way. Reality in Ontario we need to be part of a bigger picture so someone else can start fixing this broken system. Maybe that is when this government offices,court, police,society and charity organization offices will change in Canada. There needs to be a huge change in our government and in Ontario as people can not afford to live in this country with such poor systems and services that are not providing any service and waiting lists for affordable housing 8 years long... Insanity is what it is when you deal with people so rude in these office and so aware of the problems but refuse to do anything but give poor advice to women.. Shocked at the way Canada has not done more to assist women and started paying hard ball with community leader and commuinities fulled with women suffering in Barrie Ontario. The rich have lied long enough and the poor women have been pushed around by bullies long enough it is time the USA start taking a role in this Country as I see no other choice.