Obama administration may have a fourth big scandal

American Thinker ^ | June 4, 2013 | Thomas Lifson

[jazusamo]

The Associated Press has uncovered what may become a vast new scandal for the Obama administration: the possibly widespread use of covert email accounts by political appointees, enabling evasion of sunshine laws designed to protect the public. Jack Gillium of AP reports:

Some of President Barack Obama's political appointees, including the Cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department, are using secret government email accounts they say are necessary to prevent their inboxes from being overwhelmed with unwanted messages, according to a review by The Associated Press.

The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery: Most U.S. agencies have failed to turn over lists of political appointees' email addresses, which the AP sought under the Freedom of Information Act more than three months ago. The Labor Department initially asked the AP to pay more than $1 million for its email addresses.

This looks very bad indeed. Former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has already lost her hob owing to her use of the pseudonym "Richard Windsor" in correspondence with both agency officials and outsiders, including environmental activists. These communications ought to be available through Freedom of Information Act requests, but the use of a covert email account circumvents FOIA search requests.

[Bon mots]

Fourth?

Obama Scandals

1. Fast & Furious - Gun running/attempt at gun control/coverup/etc.
2. Benghazi
3. I.R.S. - scrutinizing/auditing/tyrannizing the Tea Party
4. I.R.S. - leniency for left wing non-profits/foot-dragging and worse for right wing non-profit organizations
5. AP - DOJ investigating for political persecution
6. AP - Attempt to blackmail for FOIA request
7. Secret Slush Email Accounts (hiding illicit government business from oversight and legally mandated disclosure)

[Bon mots]

Forgot about...
8. Solyndra and green scandals.

[UCANSEE2]

The secret e-mails information probably also goes beyond “scandal” to crime, because it is clearly a mechanism to avoid oversight, even legally required oversight.

Now we know why Obama uses his own 'private' Blackberry.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

Meanwhile on Google News:

Top Stories

Miami Heat
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[UCANSEE2]

Ha, we’re now serving number 50 or so in Obama scandals.

50 or so? Hard to keep up, isn't it? Hope this will help.

Here are 185 examples of Barack Obama’s lying, lawbreaking, corruption, cronyism, etc.

[UCANSEE2]

See post #45

[kevkrom]

Also: “Amanda Hugankiss”

[servantboy777]

Is the use of covert mail accts. illegal?

[Cap Huff]

I don’t know the Romney, Rove, RNC cases of private email accounts, but I think we all need to be clear about terms.

Here we are considering the possible use of secret, fictitious name email accounts to conduct official Federal Government business. That is not necessarily the same as “private.”

Also Romney as governor would have been under the laws of Massachusetts. His possible use of a private email account may or may not have been a violation of state law.

Rove as presidential adviser may be a different case. His emails under that situation may have been subject to possible FOIA requests.

The Republican National Committee? Who cares? They (as well as the DNC) are not subject to FOIA statutes as far as I know.

At least in the case of the EPA gal who set up her Winston account, that was secret, fictitious, and set up specifically to conduct official U.S. Government business.

[Chances Are]

Not to mention, “Holden MaGroin” and “Dick Pounder”!!

CA....

[Cowgirl of Justice]

You left out Hugh Janus, Seymour Butts and Richard Cranium.

[SgtHooper]

And Ivan Ben Hadski

[jazusamo]

I believe it is if government business is conducted on it.

[servantboy777]

So.....scandal #5 perhaps?

[spokeshave]

F&F is the forgotten scandal.

Never Forget:

[Delmarksman]

I wonder if they discussed this at the “closed door” meeting, with the pres, that they had two weeks ago.

Maybe even asked them to pospone the publishing, in order to give them time to scrub up a bit.

Hmmm, me thinks, maybe...?

[CommerceComet]

Sooooo - could secret email accounts in 2013 serve more or less the same function as the Nixon tapes in 1972? Be kinda interesting to see what’s in ‘em, I think.

As any cybercrook can tell you, once created, it is almost impossible to permanently delete all the copies of an email. You're right, this could get really interesting.

[GeorgeWashingtonsGhost]

Actually, I think the 'spying on AP' story is a red herring perpetrated by team O. They needed to find a way out of appearing to target JUST conservatives because of 'civil rights violations' charges. I have yet to see one AP reporter named in this scandal. Provide evidence of one, like James Rosen's case, THEN I'll believe it.

While it is true that this red herring resulted in ticking off the press, it spares team O of being accused of targeting ONLY conservatives. They can now say "We didn't do this to undermine Republicans during the election to ensure Romney would lose and 0bama would win.. Heck, we spied on liberals at AP too".. Catch my drift?

[Cheerio]

As much as I hate the AdminPress, if they turn on Zero, it may well be over for this admin. Every news outlet on the globe utilizes AP. Pick up any newsprint anywhere in America and you will see they have fired their news staff and just run AP feeds.

[GeorgeWashingtonsGhost]

By the way, EPA’s Lisa Jackson was connected to the shadow government through use of the ‘Richard Windsor (fictitious person)’ E-mail account. What’s happening with THIS investigation???