Help us out a coward (or two or three)!
Hustling right now to make a few phone calls. Hope you will, too.
"Senator Secrecy" is out there somewhere, and I want him or her (unfortunately, more than one may be deserving of the title) unmasked as soon as possible. The sooner, the better so that we can out the slimy politician who placed a SECRET HOLD on a bill that would make government more transparent. The timing -- just as everyone is preparing to tune out over the long Memorial Day weekend -- makes this all the more despicable.
If I could take one guess at who is responsible for this, I'd say Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).
Some quick background: On April 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the Open Government Act, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill would strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act, which is one of the most powerful tools Americans have to supervise the inner workings of government. More than 100 organizations support the bill, which would reduce delays in releasing government records and hold public officials accountable when they break the law. (Are you listening, DOJ?)
The U.S. House of Representatives (take a look at the testimony offered during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and the National Archives) overwhelmingly approved a similar measure last month -- but that bill was blocked from reaching the Senate floor for a May 24 vote.
"It is unfortunate and ironic that this bipartisan bill, which promotes sunshine and openness in our government, is being hindered by a secret and anonymous hold," Leahy said, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
Amen. Americans should question this ridiculous parliamentary maneuver that allows legislators to place secret holds on legislation. If legislators feel so passionately about pending legislation, they should have the guts to speak up publicly. Delaying action from the shadows is cowardly.
Apparently, Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democrat who represents my "home state" of Colorado, agrees.
"The senator is committed to conducting holds in the open," Salazar's spokesman told me today. (For what it's worth, Salazar's office and the office of Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) tell me neither man placed the hold on this bill.)
(Side note: I am once again saluting Rebecca Carr of the AA-S. She has reported on matters that have, sadly, escaped much of the national media. I'm also thrilled by recent CNN coverage of secret spending of taxpayers' money handled by Reporter Drew Griffin and Producer Kathleen Johnston. Look for the headline "Secret Spending of Tax Money." Boy, do more journalists need to wake up to these issues. There is no magical editor, producer or lawyer who is handling all of these attacks on open government ...)
If you're a reporter working on deadline over the holiday weekend, and you'd like to chat with me about this matter, please drop me a line at ctatum@spj.org. You also can reach me on my mobile phone.