Overall, Barack Obama has done a commendable job. But one area in particular concerns me. In 2008 he campaigned to bring more transparency to government. Yet his administration has been one of the most secretive in modern history. In 2012, his Justice Department secretly seized the phone records of Associated Press reporters who disclosed details of an al-Qaeda terrorist plot originating in Yemen. It’s prosecuting New York Times reporter Jim Risen for not revealing a CIA source that leaked information to him. The White House fought the Senate Intelligence Committee’s decision to reveal the extent of U.S. torture. It invoked the state secrets privilege in a string of civil lawsuits brought on behalf of detainees who have been sent to third-world jails. Under Obama’s presidency, more U.S. officials have been charged with leaking secret information than any other modern president. Now, Justice Department lawyers are recommending felony charges against former General David Petraeus, alleging that he leaked secrets to Paula Broadwell, his biographer and onetime mistress. What’s your view? Has Obama overdone it on secrecy?
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:51:19 +0000
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