White House uses secret memo to fight court order

[rodeodance]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/05/white.house.visitors.ap/index.html

White House uses secret memo to fight court order
POSTED: 5:58 p.m. EST, January 5, 2007
Story Highlights
• Secret Service agrees to keep visitor logs under wraps
• Memo of understanding signed during Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal
• Courts may ultimately decide whether records can be released


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.

The Bush administration did not reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall.

The White House is using it to deal with a legal problem on a separate front, a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.

In a federal appeals court filing three weeks ago, the administration's lawyers used the memo in a legal argument aimed at overturning the judge's ruling. The Washington Post is suing for access to the Secret Service logs...........

[Contrite]

1. Recommended. n/t

[mike_c]

2. WTF?

A secret memo? Hey, I got one of those right here, says I don't have to pay taxes and the whole friggin' island of Manhattan belongs to me!

[dipsydoodle]

3. Continues to say........

In the past, Secret Service logs have revealed the comings and goings of various White House visitors, including Monica Lewinsky and Clinton campaign donor Denise Rich, the wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich, who received a pardon in the closing hours of the Clinton administration.

Most recently, Marc Rich was linked to former United States Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby served as Rich's lawyer as far back as 1985 and charged him US$2 million for legal fees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Rich

If you search Rich further you'll cross link to Vincent W. Foster amd a third name but we'd better not go there.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. This is denying "We, the people" access to records of visitors to OUR house.

I haven't been rooting for the WaPo lately, but they have my full support in this endeavor. MKJ

[annabanana]

5. He's going to make us go in there and drag them out

kicking and yelling, isn't he. He's going to make everything as ugly and undignified as possible.