GOP lawmaker challenged for shielding records: 'What is he trying to hide?'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Jeb Hensarling, chair of the House financial services committee, tells agencies to exclude communications from journalists’ freedom of information requests

Associated Press in Washington
Saturday 6 May 2017 12.57 EDT


A House Republican chairman has told a dozen government agencies to exclude communications with his committee from requests made by news organizations, advocacy groups and others through the Freedom of Information Act.

The publication this week of a letter sent by Jeb Hensarling, the House financial services committee chair, to the treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, prompted the senior Democrat on the committee to say: “People should ask themselves: ‘What is he trying to hide?’”

In response, a committee spokesman said “liberal outrage” over the letter was “just performance art”.

Records and material from the executive branch are subject to requests under the 1967 Freedom of Information Act. Congress, which wrote the law, is exempt.




Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/06/republicans-jeb-hensarling-foia-congress-maxine-waters

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. What is Hensnarling's legal basis if the Executive Branch is not exempt?

[S_B_Jackson]

4. Hensarling is a member of the Legislative Branch...

thus his legal basis is that Congress wrote an exemption for themselves into the legislation.

A bit sleazy, but par for the course.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. But as I understand it, he is writing to AGENCIES, meaning the Executive Branch.

The Executive Branch is separated from the Legislative Branch. The latter does not rule the former.

[S_B_Jackson]

6. And his request is to shield their communications with

his Congressional committee. Insofar as those agencies are legally required to report to Congressional oversight they do rule the executive branch especially their operating funds.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Ah, there it is. I should have seen it. Thanks. However

I wonder if a smart lawyer could successfully argue that the request FROM Congress would be shielded but NOT the response letter or data. Hmmm.

[gilpo]

2. Can he do that?

Doesn't sound legal- not that that seems to matter anymore

[joshdawg]

3. IOKIYAR!

At least republicans think so.

[bobGandolf]

8. Republicans are trying to freeze media access to every single agency they can.

All part of stopping any media access, excluding Fox, from all information.