Hooray for closed government!
You are really going to stand for the concept that federal government officials cannot receive information and opinion in private?
That would severely limit the desire for any expert in any area to ever offer their advice on controversial policy decisions.
Absent legitimate matters of national security, absolutely. These behind doors consultations have a direct bearing on public policy.
And as I've heard here so very often - "If you haven't done anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about."