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Thursday, April 24, 2003
Keeping Congress in the dark
Apparently John Ashcroft, our snake-handling Attorney General, can't get the Justice Department secretive enough. Now Justice Department employees can't talk to Congress without a chaperone:
The Justice Department has directed employees to clear any contacts with Congress with its Congressional liaison office, and Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Finance Committee, called the order "an attempt to muzzle whistle-blowers."
The directive, issued on March 27, told officials to inform the Office of Legislative Affairs "ahead of time and as soon as possible — of all potential briefings on Capitol Hill and significant, substantive conversations with staff and members on Capitol Hill."
"We will assist in determining the appropriateness of proceeding with potential briefings," it said.
The directive was issued "in response to a request by the attorney general," Jamie E. Brown, acting assistant attorney general, said in a covering memorandum. The order told employees that liaison officials would almost always "accompany you to briefings" and said "please let us know when you receive a phone call from or plan to place a call to House and Senate staff and members."
Barbara Comstock, director of the Office of Public Affairs at the Justice Department, said the directive simply reflected "longstanding practice of this department, predating this administration." It was intended to coordinate efforts to keep Congress informed, Ms. Comstock said, adding, "It is a way of folks knowing what's going on in our department."
Ms. Comstock rejected Mr. Grassley's contention that the order was intended to silence department officials who wanted to tell Congress of shortcomings in the department. "This doesn't have anything to do with whistle-blowers," she said. "Whistle-blowers have all the protection of the Whistle-Blower Act," which forbids reprisals by supervisors.
Senator Grassley was not the only skeptic. Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and a frequent critic of secrecy in the Justice Department, said, "If this was intended to facilitate answers, that would be one thing. But the administration's overwhelming impulse has been to limit the flow of information, and that has made Congressional oversight of this Justice Department a neverending ordeal."
Like his boss, Jesus Johnny A works in mysterious ways...and he's going to keep it that way. It's his country, you just live in it.
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