Above The Law, Part 128
Apr 6th, 2008 at 9:14 am by Susie
Dick Cheney has a lot to hide, after all:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney’s office refused to cooperate with an agency that oversees classified documents, then tried to abolish the office when it challenged the actions, House oversight committee Chairman Henry Waxman said.
The National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office is charged by presidential order with ensuring that classified information and documents are properly handled by executive branch agencies.
According to a letter from William Leonard, director of the oversight office, Cheney’s office argued it did not meet the definition of an executive branch agency and therefore was exempt.
Leonard also wrote that Cheney’s office suggested his agency be abolished under a revision of the presidential order now under consideration. (Watch how Cheney’s office defines its role Video)
“I question both the legality and wisdom of your actions,” Waxman, D-California, wrote in a letter Thursday to Cheney.
“Your decision to exempt your office from the president’s order is problematic because it could place national security at risk,” wrote Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Cheney’s office would neither confirm nor deny it tried to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office.
Watch out, Henry. He might shoot you in the face!
