Posted on 08/19/2009 10:56:28 AM PDT by markomalley
The White House may have thought that the controversy ended this week when it disabled its electronic tip box, but at least one GOP senator is keeping it alive.
In a letter to President Barack Obama Wednesday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) says the decision to disable the e-tip box -- flag@whitehouse.gov to monitor "fishy" claims about health care -- only raises more questions. Cornyn says he wants the White House to eliminate all the data it received in the 13 days the program was in effect and wants to know whether any information has been shared with the Democratic National Committee.
Democrats say that Cornyn -- the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- is manufacturing a controversy to score political points. And the White House has said it wasn't collecting any names and that the program was strictly designed to clear up misinformation amid the roiling health care debate.
Cornyn's letter after the jump.
President Obama,
I was pleased to learn yesterday that the White House has taken down the flag@whitehouse.gov email address. As I explained in my August 5 letter to you, encouraging citizens to report so-called “fishy” emails and casual conversations to the White House raises grave concerns. This White House program could chill free speech and raise the specter of a data collection program.
While I am pleased that the program has apparently been dismantled, I remain concerned about the information that was collected during the 13 days that this program was in effect. Unless actions have been taken to purge the data, the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and private speech of U.S. citizens who had their speech reported are still accessible from one or more White House computers. No American knows for certain whether his or her personally identifiable information or speech are included in this data, nor how the data sent to the flag@whitehouse.gov account will be used. I therefore renew the questions from my earlier letter: What protocols is the White House following to purge the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who have been reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech?; and How do you intend to use the names, email addresses, IP addresses, and identities of citizens who have been reported to have engaged in “fishy” speech?
Based on new reports, I have an additional question. There have been allegations that emails sent to the flag@whitehouse.gov email address have been shared with the Democratic National Committee and other third-party groups outside of the administration. Have any of the contents or the information from email received at flag@whitehouse.gov been shared with the DNC or any other outside group?
I am also concerned that, even after the decision to dismantle it, various White House spokesmen continue to defend the flag@whitehouse.gov program. When asked yesterday whether the program was a good idea, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded “Yes, still is.” On Monday, August 17, White House Director of New Media Macon Phillips belittled criticism of the program as an “ironic development,” “fear-mongering,” and “online rumors that are the tactics of choice for the defenders of the status quo.”
I am not alone in having concerns about this program. The American Civil Liberties Union, hardly a right-wing “defender of the status quo,” called the program “a bad idea that could send a troublesome message.” The ACLU added: “critics of the administration’s health care proposal should not have to fear that their names will end up in some government database that could be used to chill their right to free speech.” I agree. This unprecedented program to monitor private emails and casual conversations is inconsistent with America’s tradition of free speech and public discourse. The program should not be defended by your White House, and I would appreciate your commitment that your administration will not engage in any similar program in the future.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN United States Senator
Or Cornyn could hope obama deletes the info and then Senator Cornyn would go after obama for that.
obama was wrong/ is on so many levels.
Of course he must know that the information cannot be eliminated.
Of course he must know that any information gleaned has already been placed into the ether.
What’s the dill pickle?
Does this mean that when the WH (thru Gibbs or Rahm or some other nutjob) announces that they will ‘destroy’ the list, they can be accused of violating the Presiential Records Act?
This could get interesting.
I don’t think that one end of the WH knows what the other end is doing.
Adding the reference to the ACLU was a nice touch.
They can announce it all they want; they don't violate the Act until they actually DO destroy them.
And we all know which ends those are!
I am immensely amused that they appear caught in a self-inflicted “damned if you do - damned if you don’t” moment ;’}
JOHN CORNYN, United States Senator.
He restores my confidence in public service.
They already broke the law. Don’t expect them to do the right thing now.
So the ACLU is with us on this one? Surely there are a lot of people spinning in their graves over that.
They have already passed on the e mails to ACORN?SEIU so it makes no difference what they do.
Is it time for David Gergen to help the dem whitehouse again? These guys are such amateurs.
LLS
But, but, but I turned in every liberal I knew...
Just kidding - even if dems said it was destroyed, I don't know if I would believe them...
No digital data acquired by government is ever “eliminated.” It might be protected better but it is all still in government databases of one kind or another.
It is a fool that believes that any electronic or paper communication with any government entity is ever “eliminated.” It may be filed away where you can’t see it and its existence is denied but it is there to be used on the appropriate occasion, either overtly or surreptiously.
I not only don’t believe it’ll be “eliminated” - I don’t even believe they’ll try.
If you value your posting privs, you will knock off this crap now. If you can’t figure out why FR does not want you using a racist acronym, you don’t belong here anyway.
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