Gonzales Slips the Questions on Open Government
The President’s nominee for attorney general got through his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee without being pinned down…
The President’s nominee for attorney general got through his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee without being pinned down on his approach to the Freedom of Information Act and government secrecy in either the oral or the written questioning. In response to questions by two senators at the hearing, Alberto Gonzales “committed” to “look at” the proliferating use of “quasi-secret” designations used to withhold unclassified information and to “work with” the senators on FOIA changes. He ducked a written question on FOIA by saying he hadn’t reviewed departing AG John Ashcroft’s controversial, withhold-if-you-can policy memo, sent to all government departments in October, 2001.