Darrell Issa claims that the Department of Homeland Security was violating FOIA for political reasons
Darrell Issa, who is now the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, vowed during the mid-term elections that if the Republicans took over the House he would initiate investigations into many aspects of the Obama regime and the implementation of Barack Obama’s agenda. And now we may be seeing the first target of Darrell Issa’s committee, as he has requested that the Department of Homeland Security turn over documents relating to what he feels is a politicization of hundreds of FOIA requests.
According to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), requested government documents are supposed to be released as quickly as possible without political considerations being involved, but there is evidence that Janet Napolitano purposely delayed the release of documents which could hurt Barack Obama politically–in clear violation of FOIA.
At the heart of this potential investigation is an Associated Press (not exactly a conservative news organization) story which reported that Janet Napolitano–over the course of one year–stalled on releasing documents because she wanted more information about the people who were requesting the documents.
The Associated Press reported in July that for at least a year, Homeland Security had sidetracked hundreds of requests for federal records to top political advisers to the department’s secretary, Janet Napolitano. The political appointees wanted information about those requesting the materials, and in some cases the release of documents considered politically sensitive was delayed, according to numerous e-mails that were obtained by the AP.
After the AP story was run Janet Napolitano ended the practice in question, leaving one to ask: If there was no wrongdoing why did she end the practice once the practice came to light? It certainly sounds as if something suspicious was going on in the Department of Homeland Security under the watchful eye of Janet Napolitano, and Darrell Issa is right to pursue this matter.
Learning that the Department of Homeland Security was only releasing the documents it felt were not politically damaging would be dubious and concerning in and of itself no matter who the president or the party in question was, but when Barack Obama promised to run the most open and honest administration in history it just goes to show you that his actions don’t always match his rhetoric–this just makes these accusations even more disappointing (if you believed Barack Obama in the first place).
America's Watchtower 
DHS? Not on the up-and-up? Say it ain’t so… 😦
The entire Obama regime feels that we only need to know what THEY want us to know… Idiots..
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Please don’t let this ruin your faith in the federal government. 🙂
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Issa is going to be a very busy man. It will be interesting how the MSM will play his investigations.
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I am not sure when he is going to be able to sleep. The MSM will spin this by saying the Republicans are looking to the past and are not doing anything about the issues we are currently facing as a nation.
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Once again, they view America as the enemy. There was no reason to collect this kind of information. Freedom of Information. If laws were broken, Napolitano should be sacked. Of course there are a million other reasons to get rid of her, but this one will do.
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Agreed! She should be gone for a number of reasons, but hopefully this one will help her out the door.
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Maybe she will get censured? I heard that is a really bad punishment.
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Let me do it for the Congress: Bad, Bad Janet, don’t do it again!
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I totally agree with Darrell Issa and I’m glad he has the conviction and the backbone to take this on. Good for him … and ultimately … good for us.
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Hopefully this will be the first of many to come. They just have to pick and choose the right issues so that it doesn’t wear on the people.
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Go Issa!!! I sincerely hope that he is able to find something tangible because if he can show something is up here, the snowball will really gain momentum.
As for your censure of Napolitano… You may have been to harsh and obviously despite trying to be more sensitive in your ‘right-wing rhetoric’, you have still labeled her as “bad” which has a fairly strong negative connotation. Might I suggest “Not good Janet. Not good.” because you visually see the word good and that is still ok(I think). /end of sarcasm
Nicely found and written Steve!
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I am sorry, what was I thinking! She has suffered enough already, to censure her like that was uncalled for. 🙂
Thanks for the compliment.
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