#US #President #Trump #WhiteHouse #VisitorLogs #transparency #lobbying
The Trump administration, an administration already facing questions about its commitment to transparency, won’t be disclosing the names of visitors to the White House due to “grave national security risks and privacy concerns.” The administration mentioned that the information will be revealed in more limited circumstances, under the law to separate agencies such as the Office of Management and Budget.
In the short term, i.e. till President Trump remains in the office, the administration will decide whether it wants to release names of visitors coming to meet with the President, however the information can be made public after Trump leaves office.
President of Every Voice commented that under this policy, big donors, lobbyists and special interests will have a significant influence in the White House.
Under President Obama, the visitor logs were maintained in a White House maintained web page, but the website has gone ‘dark’ since Trump took office. The Administration also commented that the website will no longer be maintained, which in turn will save taxpayers $70,000 by 2020.
So, you want to save $70,000 in four years, after having planned to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. Amazing.
LiveSid 