Press Sec. Josh Earnest: White House 'Most Transparent In History'

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest penned an open letter to the editor of the New York Times, claiming the Obama administration has lived up to its promise as the “most transparent White House in history.”

What journalists should note about the most transparent White House in history: My letter to the @nytimes editor → https://t.co/DWUfpJBHaM

— J Earnest (Archived) (@PressSec44) August 31, 2016

According to Earnest, Obama “invites White House journalists to cover his formal remarks at fund-raisers… [and] has also proactively released more than 180,000 data sets on a federal government website.”

Earnest also notes that the administration has been “routinely and proactively releasing the name, date and time of nearly every White House visitor.”

Yet an analysis issued by The Associated Press in March of 2015 indicates a vastly different story.

According to the report, the Obama administration has set a record for denying or censoring data and information requested under valid U.S. Freedom of Information Act filings.

When the administration was not flat out denying requests, it took exceedingly long to turn over files and regularly claimed it had either lost or misplaced the files in question.

In a number of instances, the administration also refused to turn over newsworthy files in a timely manner, with nearly 1 in 3 instances of obfuscation being deemed a violation of the law.

By the end of the year, the administration’s backlog of FOIA filings had grown by an astounding 55 percent, amounting to more than 200,000 cases.

The White House also cut 375 paid full-time employees who were tasked with locating files – roughly 9 percent of the total workforce – which likely exacerbated the growth of backlogged requests.

Of the supposed accomplishments listed by Earnest, each and every act pertains to information the administration wants the public to see, not the information it keeps private.

A media presence at fundraisers listening to formal remarks delivered by the president tells the public nothing of the informal remarks made in private. The files posted to Data.gov, while likely useful, do not make up for information unlawfully denied to members of the press under valid FOIA requests.

While Earnest notes the White House publishes the name, date and time of “nearly” every White House visitor, he is also admitting the White House keeps some names private.

Many pushed back against Earnest’s claim on social media:

@PressSec I didn't see anything about #FOIA, prosecuting whistleblowers, drones, surveillance, or access to government scientists. #OpenGov

— Alex Howard (@digiphile) August 31, 2016

Josh, I mean this sincerely: how do you justify lying for a living? @PressSec @nytimes

— Todd Ξ Herman (@toddeherman) August 31, 2016

@PressSec @nytimes Haha, "transparent?" Most secretive and punishing to whistleblowers, https://t.co/kkKfZzGvd1

— Mark Baldwin (@SenorBaldwin) August 31, 2016

“If President Obama’s government transparency effort is not even noted by The Times’s media columnist, then why would future presidential candidates make it a priority?” Earnest concluded his piece.

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