Republican asks White House for e-mail policy

A Republican congressman is calling on President Obama to ensure that all business-related e-mails from White House staff are appropriately preserved, including e-mails the staff sent from temporary Gmail accounts.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter to White House Counsel Gregory Craig on Thursday, raising the concern that e-mails sent through personal accounts may not be retained.

"It is incumbent that the new White House implement policies and processes to minimize the risk of losing e-mail subject to the Presidential Records Act," Issa said in his letter.

The Presidential Records Act mandates that all presidential records be preserved as public record. As the letter notes, "The challenges posed by retaining e-mail as required under the PRA have proved vexing for the last two White Houses."

The Bush White House came under fire for apparently losing millions of e-mails from 2003 through 2005. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee pressed the White House last year to recover the e-mails, including some that were sent through Republican National Committee e-mail accounts. At the time, Issa was skeptical of the Democrats' attempt to recover the e-mails.

"Are we simply going on a fishing expedition at $40,000 to $50,000 a month?" he asked National Archives and White House officials at a hearing. "Do any of you know of a single document, because this committee doesn't, that should've been in the archives but in fact was done at the RNC?"

In his letter to the Obama White House, Issa specifically called into question e-mails sent from Gmail accounts the Obama team used before receiving their official White House e-mail addresses. The Gmail accounts were established so the communications staff could continue to send e-mails after the Obama transition office shut down its press office on Inauguration Day.

"Gmail users on the President's staff run the risk of incorrectly classifying their e-mails as non-records under the Act," Issa's letter said.

The letter asks the White House to answer seven questions by March 4, including what procedure exists for ensuring that messages sent or received on private, non-governmental e-mail accounts are properly categorized as presidential records or non-presidential records, who would make that decision, and what review process has been instituted for the process. It also asks about the status of the White House's new electronic archiving technology, which was still being installed in late 2008.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter.

[JBar595]

The reason the White House did not respond is they were to busy burning and shredding the G-mail.

[mrorie]

What, shredding the computers that they typed them on?

[gerrrg]

Why didn't Issa ask Bush those same questions before he left office (status of the archival system)? Curious how politics work, and how Issa finds it critical to get his questions answered by March 7, instead of letting the Obama Administration focus on the economy. Why not direct those questions to the IT?

[drfrost]

New administration. New rules. The way Obama's staff is handling this has absolutely zero to do with how the previous administration handled it. And I'm sure the democrats were keeping an eye on how Bush's staff handled such things. If there's one constant in Washington these days it's the hatred each party feels for each other. Defeating their "opponents" seem to be far more important than.... oh.... telling the truth, doing something good for the country.... little things like that.

[fidomccokefiend]

Who woulda thunk it? A hypocritical Republican.

The more you know...

[bgnm]

Come on! What's good for the goose is good for the gander. The Dems are at least as hypocritical as the Republicans.

[paulsecic]

Issa gave us Arnold!

[Heebee Jeebies]

This is funny coming from a Republican considering the Bush admin. was horrible about this. I guess now the republican's think they have a right to pen their mouths. Since they shafted the country over the last 8 years it is now time for them to shut the heck up and put their heads back up their rumps and let the smart people run the country... in to the ground. :)

Robert

[drfrost]

Looking at the "ideals" of both parties, they both have their issues from my point of view. I doubt there are very many people who are purely "democrat" or "republican". But putting those things aside and looking at the politicians in general... we're to a point where a campaign promise kept is the exception, and not the rule. Democrat, republican, independent... it doesn't really seem to matter. The only constant seems to be that the more time they've spent in Washington the further from the truth they seem to get. And, at a time when the economy seems ready to drown they're increasing spending by billions, nationalizing the banks, and discussing increasing taxes on business (and the wealthy). Does this seem backwards to anyone else but me?

First off, this is a global market. We have to compete for business revenue against other nations, most of whom put a 25% tax on businesses. We're already much higher than that and we're talking about raising it? If I were starting a new business, I certainly wouldn't want to put the headquarters in the US. And if I had a business with headquarters here, I'd be planning on moving it. It's a bad idea that's going to decrease revenue in the long run. It's not about right or wrong, it's simple competition. You're going to go with the cheapest supplier that meets quality requirements.

The tax rate we'd need to cover current spending is ludicrous and they're increasing spending?!?!?!?! When they KNOW their current revenues are going to plummet due to the failing economy?!?!?!?! And they're printing billions in new money when we know that was one of the contributing factors to the great depression?!?!?!?!

Our biggest single issue in politics, as I see it, is corruption. And almost no on in Washington seems ready to do anything about campaign finance reform (beyond lip service anyway). If this sort of behavior were going on in business people would be put in jail but we seem to have the idea that it's OK in politics... that somehow that isn't going to get someone undue influence with a politician.

I'm pretty much done with anyone who's spent more than 4 years in politics. Let's replace them all with young idealistic HONEST people who care less about money, less about destroying the opposing party and more about doing the right thing. They might be less experienced but there's no way they'd be more incompetent.

My 2 cents...

[alegr]

Technically, Obama team used those Gmail accounts before he officially become a president. Does it qualify as presidential records?

[Heebee Jeebies]

Doesn't matter, the information should be retained. Him being the first black president means not only is his administration historically important so is the campaign he ran to get in to office.

[pilgrim49]

If the campaign is so "historically important" then the emails of the RNC and and McCain/Palin vetting, and so on and so on should be equally preserved and accessible for ALL political knife -sharpeners out there. Conspiracy theoirists of all shades should get their pound of flesh or sack of grain to grind!

[Dalkorian]

Grandstanding by pathetic retardican losers - nothing to see here.