Grassley Q & A: Transparency in the federal government

Q: Why is transparency in the federal government so important?

A: I’ve worked for years to make the federal government a more accessible and transparent operation. The public’s business ought to be public. So, I had high hopes when President Obama pledged to make his administration more transparent than any other. Unfortunately, this campaign pledge has yet to become reality. For example, the president issued an executive order to ban lobbyists from working in his administration. Ironically, the executive order included a loophole that allowed waivers and recusals for lobbyists who might be instrumental in moving forward the president’s agenda. So the executive order didn’t exactly do what the public relations surrounding it led people to believe. And, on top of that, the administration has resisted being upfront and transparent about the number of waivers and recusals that have been granted. 

Q: Are there Justice Department employees working on terrorist detainee issues who received waivers or recusals?

A: As Americans watch the administration make dangerous decisions to roll back important counterterrorism policies, including closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and bringing known terrorists to the United States for trial in civilian courts, it’s only logical to be asking who is making these decisions and advising the president. Press reports have indicated that there are several attorneys at the Justice Department who either represented Guantanamo detainees or worked for groups who advocated them prior to joining the Obama administration’s Justice Department. It’s even more disconcerting that some of these people may currently be crafting terrorism and detainee policies. These policies have real consequences to our national security so it’s important to have people in place who can make an independent decision based on an unbiased view. These decisions can’t simply be a foregone conclusion. So, I asked Attorney General Eric Holder to provide me with a list of the employees at the Department of Justice who have been granted waivers or recusals so they can work on issues they previously handled as lobbyists, outside advocates, or attorneys. These recusals are important for the public to see so we will know if there is in fact a real conflict of interest with how detainee issues are being managed at the department. The American people deserve a full accounting of these recusals to better understand who is running the federal government and making the decisions that are bringing terrorists to U.S. soil. I asked for this information back in November and have yet to receive a response. If the Justice Department wants to uphold President Obama’s pledge to be the most transparent and accountable administration ever, Attorney General Holder should make this information available to the public immediately.