Obama administration may have a fourth big scandal

American Thinker ^ | June 4, 2013 | Thomas Lifson

[jazusamo]

The Associated Press has uncovered what may become a vast new scandal for the Obama administration: the possibly widespread use of covert email accounts by political appointees, enabling evasion of sunshine laws designed to protect the public. Jack Gillium of AP reports:

Some of President Barack Obama's political appointees, including the Cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department, are using secret government email accounts they say are necessary to prevent their inboxes from being overwhelmed with unwanted messages, according to a review by The Associated Press.

The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery: Most U.S. agencies have failed to turn over lists of political appointees' email addresses, which the AP sought under the Freedom of Information Act more than three months ago. The Labor Department initially asked the AP to pay more than $1 million for its email addresses.

This looks very bad indeed. Former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has already lost her hob owing to her use of the pseudonym "Richard Windsor" in correspondence with both agency officials and outsiders, including environmental activists. These communications ought to be available through Freedom of Information Act requests, but the use of a covert email account circumvents FOIA search requests.

[jazusamo]

Obummer may end up being sorry he ticked off AP.

[Billthedrill]

“Most transparent administration ever.” BTT

[livius]

Yes, maybe AP knew a little more than they were letting on. Obama is so arrogant that he probably never thought the little people, which by now includes all of the press, would get PO’d about being stomped on and thrown under the bus.

The secret e-mails information probably also goes beyond “scandal” to crime, because it is clearly a mechanism to avoid oversight, even legally required oversight.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has already lost her hob owing to her use of the pseudonym “Richard Windsor”

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I wonder if anyone is using “Haywood Jablome”? “Ben Dover”? “Richard Hurtz”? “Seymore Hair”? So many possibilities.

[mountainlion]

I expect there are scandals in NASA, FAA, EPA, and in energy related sectors.

[Izzy Dunne]

“Most transparent administration ever

I can't figure out if you misspelled "transgender", or "transexual". Either one works though.

[Spruce]

Don’t forget “Mike Hunt” and “Buck Futter”

[Stingray]

Using private, secret email accounts to conduct public business to keep what you’re doing from the people you serve should not only be a fire-able offense, but a criminal one.

[gaijin]

Chicago’ing the Chicago ‘ers....!

I like it, I like it...!

[Hardraade]

So what is the “president’s” secret name?

Ahmadinejad?

Or Abu Hussein al Amriki?

[stephenjohnbanker]

” The secret e-mails information probably also goes beyond “scandal” to crime, because it is clearly a mechanism to avoid oversight, even legally required oversight.”

No question!

[molson209]

Well Obama wished the US was more like China ,so he’s trying to make his wish come true

[ObozoMustGo2012]

Dare I say the “T” word...?

[skeeter]

Obama belongs in Harare, not Washington DC.

[jazusamo]

I don’t see how it couldn’t be criminal, seems to me it’s a violation of federal law when government business is conducted with private accounts by people using phony names.

[Twinkie]

“Most transparent administration ever.”

Yep. We can see right through it!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Fast and Furious is #4. This is #5.

F&F is the forgotten scandal.

[kcvl]

“MAY” have another scandal? How about ‘NEXT”! Get in line. Obama is worse than Nixon. This is worse than Watergate.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Sooooo - could secret email accounts in 2013 serve more or less the same function as the Nixon tapes in 1972? Be kinda interesting to see what’s in ‘em, I think.

[Buckeye McFrog]

If Lisa Jackson had to resign over this sort of thing, logic would dictate that Sebelius must go too.

THAT would throw a nice big monkeywrench into Obamacare at this point.