E-mail retention practices roil Missouri, Texas governors

Less than two weeks after a federal judge ordered the White House to save copies of e-mail messages, the issue has sparked controversy between open government advocates and the governors of two states.

In Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt questioned the legal authority of his attorney general, Jay Nixon, to look into his administration’s e-mail practices.

Nixon announced last week that he was appointing a team to examine "multiple allegations" that the governor’s staff was not complying with state laws on preserving records, including e-mails, and making them available to the public. (While he said he would not play any part in the probe, it should be acknowledged that Nixon, a Democrat, is challenging Blunt, a Republican, in the 2008 governor’s race.)

Meanwhile, in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has come under fire for deleting e-mail messages once a week , a policy put in place when then-Gov. Bush was in office.

We’re sensing a trend here…