Group to Sue Cheney over VP Records

by Deb Cupples |The Bush Administration -- and especially Vice President Dick Cheney -- have repeatedly demonstrated a love of secrecy, disregard for us taxpayers, disregard for accountability, disregard for court orders, and disregard for our judicial system. That said, the Washington Post reports:

"Months before the Bush administration ends, historians and open-government advocates are concerned that Vice President Cheney, who has long bristled at requirements to disclose his records, will destroy or withhold key documents that illustrate his role in forming U.S. policy for the past 7 1/2 years."

"In a preemptive move, several of them have agreed to join the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in asking a federal judge to declare that Cheney's records are covered by the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and cannot be destroyed, taken or withheld without proper review.

"The group expects to file the lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It will name Cheney, the executive offices of the president and vice president, and the National Archives and chief archivist Allen Weinstein as defendants.

"The goal, proponents say, is to protect a treasure trove of information about national security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, domestic wiretapping, energy policy, and other major issues that could be hidden from the public if Cheney adheres to his view that he is not part of the executive branch." (Washington Post)

It's certainly worth a try, and I'm glad that CREW and others are trying, but I wouldn't expect great results -- even if the courts do end up ruling in the plaintiffs' favor. 

It's both sad and disgusting that the expectations of us taxpayers have been driven to such lows.