The Obama Administration has been accused by public interest groups of being one of the most hostile administration toward whistleblowers since the Nixon Administration. Not only whistleblowers but reporters have been subject to abusive investigations and crackdowns under President Obama. Now, that record has taken an even more dangerous turn. The Justice Department is facing bipartisan criticism after it moved to restrict access of inspectors general to documents needed to ferret out corrupt and abusive practices. The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) has issued a controversial 68-page memo that says that the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it is investigating to obtain wire taps, grand jury testimonies, and credit information.
For the record, I have been a long critic of the OLC due to what I have viewed as a significant decline in both the neutrality and quality of work in that office. The office has been wrong on a number of important constitutional questions, including the unconstitutional use of recess appointments by the President. In my view, these opinions were a departure from the tradition of the OLC in offering detached and apolitical analysis.
DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz has correctly noted that federal law gives his office independent authority and that having to coordinate documents requests from the very agency under investigation is counterintuitive: “I strongly disagree with the OLC opinion. Congress meant what it said when it authorized Inspectors General to independently access ‘all’ documents necessary to conduct effective oversight. … Without such access, our office’s ability to conduct its work will be significantly impaired.”
He is joined in this view by key members of Congress from both parties, including Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., as well as Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and John Conyers, D-Mich. As Senator Grassley correctly noted “If the Inspector General deems a document necessary to do his job, then the agency should turn it over immediately.”
The requirement that IGs get permission and access from the subject agency is inimical to the very function of their office and the effectiveness of these offices. When combined with the controversial measures taken against whistleblowers by the Obama Administration, the new policy would allow an Administration far greater power in controlling investigations of its authority and would guarantee notice of potential controversies or scandals within its ranks.
How is Pumapac anyway? Did Darragh Murphy abscond with the funds?
Squeeky “at your age”, you should have been around the block enough times to realize that conservative fiscal policies have grown the disparity between the rich and the poor. While the rich have thrived under conservative fiscal policy, the poor and middle class have seen wages stagnant, employment protections and tax credits decrease. While the rich have been given the go ahead to hide their obligatory tax responsibilities in tax havens , the poor have had no such protections. You claim you are a fiscal progressive, somehow you have not presented yourself as one in your zeal to attack anything you think is liberal. Squeeky you are one confused woman. From Hillary Puma to birther conspirator, you simply flail at imaginary windmills.
@I. Annie
No, Annie, it is YOU who are ignoring the poor. The rich have always been with us, and probably always will. Societies still flourished in the face of great wealth. But great poverty is a society killer. At your age, you are old enough to remember the American Middle Class as it was in the 1950s and 1960s. But kids nowadays don’t have the same opportunities that you did. Haven’t you heard of the “vanishing middle class”? What’s one reason they vanished??? Millions of low or no-skilled ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS! That tends to drive down wages for the rest of us. And something called “labor arbitrage” which shipped jobs overseas.
You are just a Democratic shill, who is trying desperately to cover up the horrible crap the Democrats are doing in their efforts to stuff the ballot boxes. The Dems need poor broke needy destitute people. After there is enough tof them to insure they stay in power, you will probably see the Democratic leadership itself begin to call for limits. But by then it will have snowballed beyond saving.
You should be ashamed of yourself, and your idiotic attempts to coverup the carnage. You have zero credibility.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky Fromm, Girl Reporter
You want smart. Watch the Saudis. They allow “guest workers,” their consumers benefit from inexpensive goods from foreign “cheap labor” countries, they most certainly DO NOT import unskilled VOTERS like the democrats and they have a “restricted-vote” government. They have NO PATH TO CITIZENSHIP for foreigners, AKA PATH TO DEMOCRAT VOTER STATUS.
This is the method of collectivist liberal destabilization, insurrection and subversion of the Preamble, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Bring in DEMOCRAT VOTERS.
Corporations benefit from cheap labor overseas, cheap labor in America and “corporate welfare” in many forms, while remaining “above the fray.”
All because America lost “…a republic, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin.
I vote for a redo – a reimplementation of the Preamble, Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“You can’t handle the truth!” Colonel Jessep – “A Few Good Men”
You can’t handle FREEDOM.
President Obama: “This is the Most Transparent Administration in History.”
February 14 2003
Truely fascinating post
The Science Geek
http://www.thesciencegeek.org
Egregious. Damn you autocorrect.
http://showmeinstitute.org/blog/corporate-welfare/riding-hounds-corporate-welfare
RIDING TO THE HOUNDS OF CORPORATE WELFARE
http://showmeinstitute.org/sites/default/files/welfare1.jpg
While Squeeky hones in on barefoot pregnant women, she ignores a more agree ions form of welfare and the freebies they get.
@Isaac
You said, “Until this changes and Americans admit to themselves that their system is decaying from within through a festering national ego, ”
Huh? Are you nuts? We have just the opposite problem–a lack of National Ego! We don’t even have enough self-esteem to guard our own borders anymore. Mexicans, Chinese, Somalians, whatever, are just as important to us, as we are to ourselves. Every other country in the world has immigration policies, but only the ones run by white people are so stupid as to not enforce them.
What is killing us is national stupidity, a bought and paid for major media, and a political party that stuffs the ballot box with voters that it has helped make barefoot and pregnant so they will need the party to give them some freebies.
At your advanced age, you should remember a different time in this country.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
It is always interesting to read these statements regarding the finite capacity of human beings. Humans have evolved socially to extraordinary levels. There are two choices, the chance of a benevolent dictatorship or self rule. It seems that the trend for the past several hundred years has been in the direction of self rule. The experiment is going well, however, in some countries, the US being the prime example, there is a decay from within with the accomplishment of an oligarchical style of government. This oligarchy depends on the polarization of the political and ideological system which is best maintained with a two party system that is run almost entirely by private money.
There are better ways to educate the voter to make the right choices. Unfortunately this is not being pursued in the US today. It is anathema for an American to look for a more successful rendition of democracy outside of the borders of the US. Until this changes and Americans admit to themselves that their system is decaying from within through a festering national ego, the wheel will simply keep spinning on momentum. Momentum is always slowing down, so slowly it is almost impossible to notice, however, the wheel does eventually stop.
Come the revolution!!!!!!!
PCS,
“What is wrong with the Democratic Party?”
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the canidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy–to be followed by a dictatorship.”
― Alexander Fraser Tytler
America was a “…REPUBLIC, if you can keep it,” Ben Franklin – a restricted-vote republic.
America allowed the disease of “one man, one vote” “democracy” to mortally infect the American restricted-vote republic.
James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights to preclude further amendment. Madison admonished and warned of the “destruction” of the very Constitution itself though “amendment.” That happened.
According to Tytler, America can look forward to dictatorship. Looks like Americans will have to take the bull by the horns and determine if it will be a dictatorship of free men or parasites.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-28/scott-walker-accuses-donald-trump-of-using-democratic-talking-points-to-attack-him
“Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker pushed back against attacks leveled at him in recent days by Donald Trump, saying the billionaire is using Democratic attacks to try to throw him off stride in the Republican presidential nomination race.
“I don’t know where he’s getting his facts from, other than the talking points of the state Democrats, but we’ve proven them time and time again to be wrong in elections,” Walker told reporters during a stop at the famed Billy Goat Tavern.
“In the end, you guys all have an obsession for the next couple months with somebody else,” Walker said of the media and Trump. “That’s fine with me. My obsession is with the voters of this great country.””
****************
Hilarious. I’ve got popcorn.
Seriously are 24% of conservative voters unhinged from reality?
My dear sweet little Squeekers. Do you believe for one minute that Trump will bring back jobs from China? That Trump will get Mexico to build a wall along the border? If so I have a bridge to nowhere to sell you. Trump loves him some chumps.
Ken O’Keefe on 9/11
“The Media is a Tool of the Psychopaths”
They provide cover-up for the U.S. Nazi Government
U.S. Government = Nazis to the world
American Traitors and Israel did 9/11
https://youtu.be/e8__64mFVes
@I.Annie
Congrats, Democratic party shill! Here’s the reality. Trump makes a lot of sense. It is beyond STUPID to import millions of unskilled laborers when there are already millions of unskilled laborers here who don’t have jobs. It is beyond STUPID to allow cheap foreign goods in the country without a tariff while our factories sit idle, and millions of Americans are without jobs.
Sooo, what is the Democratic Party to do? The Dems love them some barefoot pregnant voters. The Dems love them some financially broke negroes! How else can you use freebies to buy votes???
So,l the Dems launch off into Big Lie Land! It is really Trump who is stupid, not them. I don’t think most Americans will buy that crap. I don’t even think I.Annie believes it. She is just repeating the new Democratic Party line like a good little follower.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Donald Trump endorses Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the 9/11 Nuclear Attack on America
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got 29 standing ovations from Congress
Israel and Traitors in the U.S. did 9/11
Donald Trump, another Zionist Traitor / Enemy of America
Americans are idiots to believe any of the candidates. They are owned by Israel and the Zionists.
https://youtu.be/tm5Je73bYOY
Try to understand the program.
Zionist Jews control the American political process.
And Lisa, if Trump runs independently I would very much encourage you and all your family, friends and aquaintences to vote for him.
PCS,
Where in the founding documents is it mandated that, with full knowledge of the public, elected officials be excused to exist with impunity in a miasma of corruption?