WHITE HOUSE - NOW CLAIMS THEY CAN KEEP E-MAILS SECRET!!!

[kpete]

White House claims it can keep e-mails secret.

Today in the “the latest effort by the Bush administration to expand the boundaries of government secrecy,” the Justice Department said that “records about missing White House e-mails are not subject to public disclosure. Administration lawyers detailed the legal position in a lawsuit trying to force the White House Office of Administration to reveal what it knows” about the disappearance of at least 5 million White House e-mails.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/21/white-house-claims-it-can-keep-e-mails-secret/


White House Seeks to Keep E-Mails Secret
Tue Aug 21, 2007

The Justice Department said Tuesday that records about missing White House e-mails are not subject to public disclosure, the latest effort by the Bush administration to expand the boundaries of government secrecy.

Administration lawyers detailed the legal position in a lawsuit trying to force the White House Office of Administration to reveal what it knows about the disappearance of White House e-mails.

..................

The office has prepared estimates that there are at least 5 million missing White House e-mails from March 2003 to October 2005, according to the lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a private advocacy group.

In court papers seeking to end the case, the Justice Department said the White House Office of Administration has no substantial authority independent of President Bush and therefore is not subject to the disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

more at:
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/08/21/911327-white-house-seeks-to-keep-e-mails-secret

[karlrschneider]

1. Okay, somebody tell me why we're using nerf bats in a hardball game.

:grr: :mad:

[bdamomma]

2. it just never stops huh?

I hate these people.

[EFerrari]

3. Nancy, if you need a bat, I have a few just a coupla miles from your office.

[GardeningGal]

4. Bullshit.

E-mail replaces the inter-office memorandum of years gone by. I can't believe that argument will fly. But, I guess there's a lot of things that have happened in the past 6 years that I can't believe have passed under the radar. People are not paying attention.

Edited for spelling mistake.

[SeattleGirl]

5. Don't forget, though. Greg Palast has about 500 of them, and he

gave copies to Conyers.

[KittyWampus]

11. Palast doesn't have anything that anyone with a internet access has.

[EVDebs]

14. Read Palast's 'Khan Job' article, esp about the NSA's pre 9-11 'policy shift' eom

[SeattleGirl]

19. That's true now, but his friend was the one who got them first,, and

passed them on to him.

Not his fault if Congress doesn't know how to use The Google.

[alllyingwhores]

35. ...and Conyers is doing what with them?

[SeattleGirl]

37. Not sure. Ask Conyers. n/t

[Kagemusha]

6. Fine. If it's not a FOIA issue, doesn't mean Congress isn't entitled to them.

That's all this means.

And btw. These aren't e-mails, kpete. These are records about missing e-mails. Not exactly the same thing.

[spag68]

7. Let me get this straight

They can look at all our e-mails, however theirs, which are public property are secret!

[kpete]

9. THAT

IS EXACTLY WHAT PISSED ME OFF !!!!!!!

[TahitiNut]

18. Yep. Of course they realize that they're delegated powers - delegated from the people.

Bizarre, ain't it?

[The Backlash Cometh]

31. Maybe we need a juice man in the NSA?

[PuppyBismark]

8. Wrong - Remember Ollie North

Ollie North worked in the White House and his White House emails were used to document many of his activities. In fact, the White House changed email systems (from IBM PROFS to Digital's All-in-one) because everyone was worried the one in use at that time was too easy to reconstruct emails. There was a case on the matter and the courts held that the emails were public records.

Time to get to work Congress and do your job!

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[rubberducky]

10. This goes beyond belief. K&R

If this was Clinton, imagine the outrage 24/7.

[EVDebs]

12. Ptech is an interesting place to start investigating the WH

Ptech has software contracts with the WH, DoD, FAA, DOJ, etc.

"Ptech's roster of clients included several governmental agencies, including the United States Armed Forces, NATO, Congress, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Customs, the FAA, the IRS, the Secret Service, and the White House. Despite the media allegation that the company's was connected to terrorism, an allegation that both the US government and the company's official denied, as of May 2004 they were still contracted by several federal agencies, including the White House.

Ptech had a security clearance to work on sensitive military projects dating to 1997."

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ptech&oldid=152675024

If * wanted to really be anti-terror then why do they remain with Ptech, now GoAgile, having access to WH and military and FAA software ? It begs sooo many questions doesn't it ? Treason may be a reason to keep those emails secret. Esp. if they're being accessed outside of the country.

[bleever]

13. The "Unitary Executive" gambit, eh?

Is the the first time the Unitary Executive card has been played in judicial proceedings?

[Amonester]

15. "Our king is a king. End of discussion."

Is that what the loyal (overpaid-with-our-credit-card) serfs at the "New" injustice department R saying?

Sure looks like they R. :wtf:

[Richard D]

16. The dems need to challenge this stuff . . .

. . . or else the repukes will be taking up a lot of time doing it when the next democratic president is elected.

[TahitiNut]

17. So, the RNC can have them but the People can't??

Has the mob formed yet? My torch and pitchfork has been ready since December 2000. :grr:

[walldude]

20. Well you can't re-write history if there is any evidence

maybe Congress ought to... oh crap.. nevermind.

[Kablooie]

21. Welp, that's that. If Bush says it's law, Congress always ultimately agrees.

[gate of the sun]

22. I think they will get away with it like everything else.

NO ONE STOPS THEM FROM DOING ANYTHING..........

[Independent_Liberal]

24. That's what I read everyday I'm here. The usual, whining and hopelessness.

"They're going to get away with it," "The Dems aren't going to do anything," "I give up," boo hoo hoo!!!

Yeah, that certainly helps the situation. :sarcasm:

[kpete]

25. We can NEVER

give up - NEVER

[Blackhatjack]

23. This WH has ranged far from any kind of defensible use of 'Executive Privilege' here...

It is not even a close call whether the RNC email are covered by Executive Privilege. They are not.

Even if this comes to the SCOTUS they will not okay this one.

[wicket]

26. K & R

:kick:

[L. Coyote]

27. DU Archives Mar-28-07: Email-Gate FACTS: Felons, georgewbush.com, gwb43.com , et. al.

Mar-28-07: Email-Gate FACTS: Felons, georgewbush.com, gwb43.com , et. al.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x523978

Apr-13-07: Years of OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE E-MAILS go missing. Five Million E-Mails Lost??
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x649088

Jun-08-07: GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY. Is Everyone in the WHITE HOUSE Going to the "OUT" House?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1069515

Jun-14-07: Ed Gillespie, Tenet Healthcare lobbyist, Ex-RNC chief named President's Counselor
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1111575

====================================
So, today Bush is advised by former Enron hacks, and the People get lies and stonewalling.
They may say no to CREW, but Congress gets the last words under constitutional governance.

[Solly Mack]

28. Well... is anyone proving them wrong?

[bobthedrummer]

29. "Network Hosting Attorney Scandal E-Mails also Hosted Ohio's 2004 Election Results"

(started by Octafish)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x735051

"Subpoena SUSAN B. RALSTON. She holds the key to WH e-mail systems, election night '04 and Abramoff"
(started by seafan)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x505855

"The use of RNC E-mail Accounts by White House Officials" (started by sabra)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2884749

"Information warfare ammo-dump #2" (6-13-2007)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1104149

Many archived DU threads can, and should, be used for INDICTMENTS AND IMPEACHMENT.

IMPEACH CHENEY FIRST.

[bobthedrummer]

45. .

[lovuian]

30. in the game of chess Justice Department doesn't trump

Congress
this is meaningless except that it shows the Justice Department is not doing their job

[texpatriot2004]

41. That's what I was thinking, the "Justice" Dept is not doing their

job. In fact, it is laughable that this "Justice" Dept is deciding anything in this matter. It's like the fox is in the henhouse and the fox says all the hens are accounted for...because the fox says so.

Whatever!

[L. Coyote]

32. NY Times to Congress: Keep up the search for Rove's e-mails (and Mehlman's, too)

NY Times to Congress: Keep up the search for Rove's e-mails (and Mehlman's, too)

Submitted by crew on 20 June 2007 - 1:39pm. Karl Rove Ken Mehlman Presidential Records Act

LIke most observers, the editorial writers at The New York Times are finding it difficult to understand why the Bush administration and the RNC can't find all the e-mails from White House staffers. The Bush administration had a legal obligation, under the Presidential Records Act, to preserve those communications. That seems not to have been a concern:

...........

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:gQ5T0wQt0rEJ:www.citizensforethics.org/node/29149+%22Ralston+needs+to+get+called+back+without+any+promise+of+immunity.%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

[helderheid]

33. AARRCHCHHHGGHHH!!

[Ezlivin]

34. I sure did enjoy democracy while it lasted. Did you?

As each day passes with yet another outrage the only consolation I have is that I can remember what freedom felt like.

[bjobotts]

36. Totally uncooperative unless forced by the law and does everything

possible to keep from being forced by the law...but no, he's not hiding anything. "I'm not a crook".

When someone blocks, stalls, destroys evidence, and hires a bank of attorneys who try to confuse the issues and just refuse to cooperate in any manner, they do so because they have a lot to hide that they know is illegal, that is why they go to such great lengths to avoid oversight. So we already know the WH is guilty but they have so far kept us from proving it.

[Tab]

38. No one cares.

That's the premise, that's the gambit.

It seems to be working.

[nickgutierrez]

39. The Justice Department has no power independent of the President?

Whoa. No, no, no, stop right there.

This is a massive power grab. This is the Executive Branch attempting to swallow whole the Judicial Branch, if I read that right.

[Generator]

40. Of course they can, just like anyone else

they can do anything they want-unless someone stops them. Or for so long-unless someone stops them. Whose stopping them?

[bobthedrummer]

42. .

[helderheid]

43. !!

[Quantess]

44. This is a fascist dictatorship.

They can spy on us, but we can't know what our government is doing?
How did we allow this to happen?

[L. Coyote]

46. kick