Vice President Dick Cheney said he doesn't have to follow rules regarding protection of classified information, because his office is not part of the executive branch of government (ABC News).
Maybe Cheney was referring to his physical office space. Surely, he wasn't arguing that vice presidents aren't part of the executive branch. I mean, the U.S. Constitution deals with vice presidents in Article II, which specifically addresses the executive branch (as opposed to the legislative and judicial branches).
Citing congressional documents, the Washington Post reports:
"Since 2003, the vice president's staff has not cooperated with an office at the National Archives and Records Administration charged with making sure the executive branch protects classified information. Cheney aides have not filed reports on their possession of classified data and at one point blocked an inspection of their office. After the Archives office pressed the matter, the documents say, Cheney's staff this year proposed eliminating it."
According to the New York Times, “The oversight office, a unit of the National Archives appealed the issue to the Justice Department, which has not yet ruled on the matter.”
While Cheney's argument is bizarre, it's not surprising. President Bush has exhibited similar disregard for our nation's laws, asserting "that he is not necessarily bound by the bills he signs into law"--despite a constitutional mandate that U.S. presidents faithfully execute the laws passed by Congress (BNP and Washington Post).
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