President Trump is being sued by transparency advocates who are demanding that the visitor logs to both the White House, his private Florida club Mar-a-Lago, and Trump Tower, be made public so that the American people can know who their government is meeting with.
The complaint states:
This is an action under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIAâ€), 5 U.S.C. §552, and the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201–2202, for injunctive, declaratory, and other appropriate relief.Plaintiffs challenge the failure of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHSâ€) to disclose to them records of visits to the White House and to President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower residences that the Secret Service, a component of DHS, maintains.
This case seeks declaratory relief that DHS is in violation of the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)(a), by refusing to search for and provide plaintiffs with all responsive documents on an expedited basis, and injunctive relief ordering DHS to process and release to plaintiffs immediately the requested records.
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It is not a shock that the least transparent presidential candidate in modern U.S. history has turned out to be the least transparent president in modern U.S history. The White House doesn’t belong to Donald Trump. President Obama established a precedent that should stand for all future presidents. The American people deserve to know who is visiting their White House.
A president who felt like he had nothing to hide might be more open to releasing the logs, but when it comes to the Trump administration, a look at the visitor logs would be helpful in separating fact from fiction.
Who is visiting this White House? Who is helping to shape policy behind closed doors? As it relates to the Russia scandal, there is most likely some insight that can be gained from access to the White House and Trump properties visitor logs.
The idea that the American people should know who their government is meeting with isn’t radical. It’s democracy.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
