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WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
by FOX17 National Correspondent Kristine Frazao
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration is coming under fire Thursday night after a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders say they're failing to open up. Before Barack Obama won his first Presidential election, he criticized his predecessor and promised a transparent government.
"It's no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in our history has focused on special interests and public policies that could not stand up to the sunlight," says President Obama. "As President, I'm going to change that."
Not only has Obama fallen short, critics say his administration is far, far worse than George W. Bush's policy was on open records. Thomas Fitton is President of Judicial Watch, a watchdog group.
"When the Obama people come in and say they are the most transparent, we found that not to be the case," says Fitton. "We have over 900 Freedom of Information requests trying to get basic information."
Watchdogs are not the only ones complaining. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th District) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District), the top Republican and Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, want to know why the Justice Department has a huge backlog of Freedom of Information requests. Our investigative media partner the Washington Guardian added up the number of open record requests denied in just one year.
"In 2011, the U.S. government denied 200,000 petitions," says the Washington Guardian's Phillip Swarts.
As a reporter, it's frustrating. There's a stack of Freedom of Information requests sent by our colleagues to departments such as Treasury, Homeland Security and Labor, all denied. We were pursuing information such as compensation claims, very basic. By law, we all have a right to see and understand.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration is coming under fire Thursday night after a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders say they're failing to open up. Before Barack Obama won his first Presidential election, he criticized his predecessor and promised a transparent government.
"It's no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in our history has focused on special interests and public policies that could not stand up to the sunlight," says President Obama. "As President, I'm going to change that."
Not only has Obama fallen short, critics say his administration is far, far worse than George W. Bush's policy was on open records. Thomas Fitton is President of Judicial Watch, a watchdog group.
"When the Obama people come in and say they are the most transparent, we found that not to be the case," says Fitton. "We have over 900 Freedom of Information requests trying to get basic information."
Watchdogs are not the only ones complaining. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th District) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District), the top Republican and Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, want to know why the Justice Department has a huge backlog of Freedom of Information requests. Our investigative media partner the Washington Guardian added up the number of open record requests denied in just one year.
"In 2011, the U.S. government denied 200,000 petitions," says the Washington Guardian's Phillip Swarts.
As a reporter, it's frustrating. There's a stack of Freedom of Information requests sent by our colleagues to departments such as Treasury, Homeland Security and Labor, all denied. We were pursuing information such as compensation claims, very basic. By law, we all have a right to see and understand.
Thursday, February 7 2013, 10:37 PM CST
Tennessee News
2 appellate court judges are stepping down
May 24, 2013 21:29 GMT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Two Tennessee appellate court judges have notified Gov. Bill Haslam that they will not run for another term on the bench in the August 2014 retention election.
Patricia J. Cottrell, a judge on the Court of Appeals, and Joseph M. Tipton, who sits on the Court of Criminal Appeals bench, will both leave after September of next year.
The announcements come after the state legislature left Tennessee without a way to replace judges who step down or die when a commission expires at the end of next month.
Members of the soon-to-be-defunct Judicial Nominating Commission will make recommendations for replacements to give to Haslam before the panel expires. Haslam will appoint the replacements from those recommendations.
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