OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AGAIN CLAIMS WHITE HOUSE VISITOR LOGS NOT SUBJECT TO FOIA

10 Jul 2009 // Washington, D.C. - Once again, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from CREW seeking White House visitor records, the Obama administration has claimed the records are presidential, not agency, records and therefore not accessible to the public under the FOIA. CREW’s FOIA request of June 22, 2009 seeks records of visits to the White House by health care executives. In a letter dated July 7, 2009, the Secret Service responded that the records are not agency records subject to the FOIA and further that disclosing some or all of the records could reveal information protected by the presidential communications privilege. In response to CREW’s alternative request that the Obama administration – consistent with its pledge of transparency and accountability – make these records available as a matter of discretion, the agency responded that the White House and Office of the Vice President “are currently reviewing the policy for such discretionary releases.” Last month in response to CREW’s latest lawsuit seeking White House visitor records of visits by top coal company executives the White House claimed to be reviewing the policy of treating these records as presidential, but has yet to announce any change.

Read the Secret Service's response to CREW in the Related Documents folder on the right.