It Begins…Democrats Introduce Bill to Seal Obama’s Presidential Records

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Bryan Preston At PJ Tatler reports:

According to Judicial Watch, Rep. Edolphous Towns (D-NY) has introduced the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011. That bill would do with Obama’s presidential records what Obama has already done to his personal and collegiate records: Seal them up.

In an obvious effort to protect President Barack Obama, a group of congressional Democrats has introduced legislation to create an official process that will allow the commander-in-chief to keep presidential records secret after he leaves office.

Rep. Edolphous Towns

Ironically, Obama revoked a similar George W. Bush order in one of his first official acts as president. In 2001 Bush penned an executive order severely limiting public access to his presidential records. Shortly after swearing in, Obama killed it as part of his much-ballyhooed commitment to government transparency. At the time, the new president claimed that he was giving the American people greater access to “historic documents.”

Keep reading. Hypocrisy – Thy Name is Obama.

The bill is called the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011.

Judicial Watch reports:

The veteran Brooklyn congressman (Edolphus Towns) who recently introduced the law in the U.S. House has yet to explain why it’s necessary. What’s certain is that Obama has failed miserably to keep his promise of running the most transparent administration in history.

Dems must not be all that terribly confident about his prospects in the 2012 election if they’re already trying to help him cover his tracks.

Linked by Doug Ross in Larwyn’s Links, thanks!

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68 thoughts on “It Begins…Democrats Introduce Bill to Seal Obama’s Presidential Records”

  3. As it was introduced in the House, and since the Republicans control the House, this will be (or at least, should be), referred to committee, then tabled, and die the quiet death it deserves.

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  4. Pingback: The Secret President | Icliks Incoming

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  7. unless we thream reae people stand up and scream real loud right now this Krap will never end. FOR THOSE WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO ALL THE WORK TO END THIS —IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. GET TO WORK.

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  8. Ron Paul’s records are sealed too.It’s normal.
    I hear Ron Paul wasn’t born in the US and Ron Paul has used fraudulent social security numbers.
    Don’t worry,if there was anything that is bad in the Obama fellow’s records,the government would arrest him or something.
    I trust the government.They want to keep me safe.
    They love the American people.
    I am sure it is being sealed up so for security reasons that we wouldn’t understand.
    Don’t hate on the President.He really is your Commander In Chief.
    Just applaud our security minded experts and officials because there are terrorists and they have to do some things that might seem strange things for National Security.Let’s watch
    Obama Girl

    Remember that? Those were the good old days we need to rekindle and just trust the President and the Democratic Party ,I still have a crush on Obama just like Obama girl.He is quite a hunk!
    Let’s think about that instead !

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  9. In reading the bill, I don’t see anything close to how this article describes it. The author needs to explain how it seals all of Obama’s records. Did any of the other commentors actually read it or are you all just haters/sheep?

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  10. stumbleBum: “to establish procedures for the consideration of claims of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure of Presidential records” sounds a lot like what the article describes.

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  15. OK, the left says it isn’t what we think it is. We say it is. OK, lefties, why do we need this bill unless it is to seal his records so we can’t learn what he was doing in his “transparent” presidency?

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  16. Bridget C:
    Yeah, I already linked to the bill, and it says exactly what we think it says not that the lawyers at Judicial watch aren’t capable of interpreting legislation.

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  17. I don’t pretend to understand all the language in this bill, so call me what you want to. But I do know he has not been a transparent president, in fact, the least so. Please explain, Bridget, why he wanted to prevent Bush from doing the same thing?

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  19. Here’s a better idea: get that bill out on the floor, and let the House vote on it. Here we have an opportunity to make the Dems look like Party hacks, to make the CBC look like tribal subchiefs of a Kenyan despot, and to show everyone what sort of scum still supports Obama these days. If the occasional RINO gets flushed out of the underbrush, so much the better.

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  20. Okay, I tried to be polite, but you really are ignorant of the law, The mechanism to protect presidential documents already exists in the US Code at Title 44 Chapter 22, Ҥ 2204. Restrictions on access to Presidential records
    (a) Prior to the conclusion of his term of office or last consecutive term of office, as the case may be, the President shall specify durations, not to exceed 12 years, for which access shall be restricted with respect to information, in a Presidential record, within one or more of the following categories:”
    And there are about two pages worth of details after that.

    What this new law does is establish a procedure for RELEASING records that have not previously been released. To keep a document private both the former president AND the incumbent president have to agree that they need to be kept private based on Constitutional grounds AND there has to be no “final court order that is not subject to appeal.”

    Stop being snookered by people who can’t read a bill and go look to see how it fits into the existing US Code.

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  22. As to the question of how this relates to Bush and what he attempted to do – Bush tried to stop the release of everything on his word and his word alone. When Obama took office he issued an executive order that changed that to create a system where things could not be kept private, including his own without review by the Attorney General and White House Counsel this new law would set up a different procedure for the records of former presidents that involves the current and former president both in the decision to release things not previously released. It affect all of the records of any president if those records have not previously been released.

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  23. Hey Paul. Do me solid and point out where the racist comments are so I can delete them.

    Bridget name the Bush EO that attempted to classify everything on his word, alone.

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  24. NiceDeb all the above comments are racist because they don’t like what is going on. You should know by now that we are all racists because we don’t like his policies. Doesn’t matter that he is a socialist and these people are either in denial or blind to it.

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  26. Executive Order no. 13233, Further Implementation of the Presidential Records Act
    November 1, 2001
    “If under the standard set forth in section 4 below, the incumbent President does not concur in the former President’s decision to request withholding of the records as privileged, the incumbent President shall so inform the former President and the Archivist. Because the former President independently retains the right to assert constitutionally based privileges, the Archivist shall not permit access to the records by a requester unless and until the incumbent President advises the Archivist that the former President and the incumbent President agree to authorize access to the records or until so ordered by a final and nonappealable court order.”

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  27. So, as I thought – you were lying when you said he tried to stop the release of records based on his word alone. EO 13233 allows for the release of a select category of records after the incumbent and former Presidents agree on their release.

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  28. You need to read it again. In Bush’s EO, the former president gets the last word barring a binding court order.

    “Because the former President independently retains the right to assert constitutionally based privileges,” Is the important clause.

    In Obama’s version, the Archivist had to consult with the Attorney General and White House Counsel and any other agency needed to determine the Constitutionality of the request to keep the information private.

    In the House Bill, the incumbent president gets to make the final call.

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  29. It doesn’t matter who gets the final say so, it matters that they are trying to make it secret. Obozo is trying to hide his record just like he has everything else from his past. That’s bullshit!

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  30. Having the last word isn’t the same thing as “his word alone”.

    But we were talking about the Dem proposal, and Obama’s hypocrisy which you have nicely obfuscated.

    From the Judicial Watch link:

    If the Democrats’ proposed measure (Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011) becomes law, former presidents will be allowed to assert a new “constitutionally based privilege” against disclosing records of their liking. Here is how it would work; the Archivist of the United States would be required to notify the former president, as well as the incumbent, of intentions to make records public. Anything that either the former or current president claims should be kept private won’t be released.

    You are asking us to believe that Dems have nothing but pure motives in trying to conceal the records of this corrupt and embattled White House. Nobody here is fooled.

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  31. Pingback: It Begins…Democrats Introduce Bill to Seal Obama’s Presidential Records « thefloridianguy.com

  32. Pingback: He Says, “Violence Will Be Needed ____?” | Sandia Tea Party

  34. His records are Welder4. It’s his presidential record(public record) that he is trying to keep hidden from us. You know why too, so he can’t be prosecuted for all the laws he has broken.

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  37. Obama girl ! are you F*ing crazy trust our Government ? That is how Obama got elected the first time people voting for the Party and not the man. Remember the movie Aliens where the line was…..Capture Alien at all costs……… human lives expendable……..the Government does not give a flying F**k about you.

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  38. We just got some of Nixon’s records. Some of Eisenhower’s records still have not been released. Most of Reagan’s have not been released and certainly, George HW Bush’s records are just mostly sealed. Neither have Carter’s, nor Clinton’s records in large part been released. Obama did not go after either George W Bush or any other former president nor did Clinton go after George HW Bush or Reagan for either the murder of the nuns in Nicaragua or Iran-Contra. Carter didn’t go after Ford or Nixon.
    Why do you think that didn’t happen? Primarily because those look back prosecutions will destroy our system and no president can govern in fear of the hate and meanness from such prosecutions and that they engender. Gotcha governance destroys political systems just like it does relationships.

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  39. Not all of Eisenhower’s, JFK’s, Johnson’s, Nixon’s (we just got some of his records and tapes), Carter’s, Reagan’s, George HW Bush’s, Clinton’s and George W. Bush’s records have been released. Many of those records may never be released. Presidential privilege is critical to our government, just as legislative and judicial privilege. We all have 20 20 hindsight. Our government cannot withstand continued scrutiny of each president’s actions viewed from afar with the meanness and hate that is a part of such scrutiny. Meanness and hate will destroy governments just like it destroys relationships. There was no look back from Obama to the reason for the Iraqi war, from Bush into the Clinton administration, from the Clinton administration into the murder of the nuns in Nicaragua or Iran-Contra, from Reagan into the Iran hostage era, etc. Aren’t we a stronger government because we haven’t spent the time Of Our Courts, Legislature, and Presidents on such hate and meanness. It seems far wiser to try to deal with the problems that we have in our society rather than on such retribution.

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  40. Wasn’t it a democrat Congressman who was expressing fears that moving American military facilities may cause an island to “tip over”? And this is the caliber of democratic Congressional representation which seeks to hide Obama’s records? Those who have nothing to fear have nothing to hide.

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  41. If a worker decided to seal his records so that their boss could not see what they had done and were doing, he could be fired. We pay his salary whether he likes it or not we are his bosses. I’m sick of “Mr. It’s what I say and you cannot do anything about it.” Good, bad, or just different, I cannot wait for him to quit occupying our White House and some other numb-nuts to take his place.

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  42. In case you people don’t realize it. It’s us against them. What we need to do is stop attacking each other and fight for our freedom. If our Government has it’s way, Freedom will soon be history. (literally)

    It’s time we join together and fight to retain what is rightfully ours.

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  43. H.R.3071 — Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011To amend chapter 22 of title 44, United States Code, popularly known as the Presidential Records Act – already in existence. This was similar to one of the very first bills George W. Bush tried to pass in his presidency…. It’s not an Obama bill… and according to some sites, the bill has apparently been abandoned. Be fair in your criticism and do your own homework on articles intended to inflame.

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  44. I did my homework, thank you very much. This post is from Oct. 6 last year, if congress has abandoned the bill, since then, good.

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  45. This was similar to one of the very first bills George W. Bush tried to pass in his presidency

    Which bill? Do you mean his executive order? The one that was already mentioned in the post? Some homework.

    It’s not an Obama bill

    The post never said that it was. It said that it was sponsored by Rep. Towns “In an obvious effort to protect President Barack Obama.” You didn’t read the post at all.

    And the bill is still alive – it came out of committee on November 17.

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  48. I did a little scouting – looks like the “Send Barry Back to Kenya” Facebook page linked to this post today. I don’t know if that site is big enough to account for all the hits.

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  51. Enough lying I want to know who is running for president.
    There is overwhelming evidence that Obama should not be on the ballet.
    1. fraudulent birth certificate
    2. sealed Social security information
    3. sealed pass port records
    4. sealed college records
    We need to address this issue, and I am baffled as to why no one has the tactical fortitude to address this issue

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  52. Sealing the records is not a good idea. We will need those for the coming Conspiracy Trials. ……. Oh! I get it! That’s why the Dems want them sealed.

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  53. You left wing liberals are a bunch of hypocrites!! You want to say Obama has Constitutional rights to privacy concerning things that could involve national security, yet Obama passed the National Defense Security Act which removes the individuals rights to a fair trial for being considered a “belligerant”. Also Obama has removed, or attempted to remove many of the other rights under the “Bill of Rights” for the common citizen including; the first amendment (regulating speech of the media, and what pastors can say to their audiences), the second amendment (UN small arms treaty), 10th amendment (right of the individual state of soveirgnty (Arizona, and ALL of the other states attempt to repeal ObamaCare at the states level, as it is unconstitutional. Also Arizona’s enforcement of immigration law, and false accusations of discrimination. DON’T quote “constitutional rights” Obama should have to me! Obama has done more to DESTROY the CONSTITUTION than ANY OTHER PRESIDENT!!! We all see how you want to stand on the law when it suits YOUR PURPOSE, NOT for the good of the PEOPLE!!!!

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  54. well it also says once Obama became president he unsealed the last mistakes records…so when he loses the next mistake can unseal them as well…and we all know if it is the good dr…it will most definatly be available to the public.

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  55. Pingback: Why Are Democrats Already Trying To Seal Obama’s Presidential Records? | Bucks Right

  57. Pingback: Democrats introduce bill to keep Obama’s presidential records sealed for eternity | Quite Normal

  58. Bridget C, How much are they paying you to write this garbage, if the law exists to protect the records then why do they need another, If and I say If the President is honest and true to his country then why would he not want the record of how well he served proclaimed to all. I have witnessed the fact that a nation can be conned into voting for this President but surely not twice!. At least my Father was an American who fought for his Country and the records prove it without being altered…And I have no objection to the records being open should you wish to check.

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  60. Uh…what happened to Obama’s much-ballyhooed commitment to government transparency? What does he have to hide? What sort of awful unknown facts are going to come to light after he’s gone?

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  61. First, I am a conservative republican that can and has read this entire bill… The only way the records are sealed is if the president that the records are being asked for files a claim of privilege it won’t be released to the public, also the incumbent president at the time they are asked has to also allow the claim. Next if they both agree to the claim of privilege it can still be appealed all the way to the supreme court (currently sitting at the time of the request to view them) to have them allowed to be released and only be permanently sealed if that supreme court allows the claim of privilege to stand.
    NOW….. NO RECORD CAN BE SEALED IF WHILE THERE IS AN IMPEACHMENT OF SAID PRESIDENT ARE IN PROCESS WHEN THE REQUEST TO SEAL THEM IS REQUESTED…. Impeachment Proceedings Begin Against Obama in both the House and Senate March 11 2012 in the House and March 14 2012 in the Senate… Although the bill to seal them was written in 2011 the exact records that they want to seal has not been given therefor none of his records will be allowed to be sealed until AFTER the Impeachment ends

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  62. The average American hasn’t a CLUE how much of our tax money Obama has sent down Muslim sh*t holes while he plans to slash the military, STOLE 116 BILLION FROM MEDICARE and threatened towithold senior’s social security checks!

    BILLIONS FOR JIHAD!

    Obamas 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and passed by the full committee.
    It gives billions http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2009/05/1 …
    of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies.

    Read the summary from David Obeys office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.

    $3.6 BILLION, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces
    $400 MILLION, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces

    AFGHANISTAN:$1.52 BILLION,$86 MILLION above the request

    WEST BANK AND GAZA:$665 MILLION in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

    JORDAN:$250 million,$250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance

    EGYPT:$360 MILLION,$310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance,$50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance

    PAKISTAN:$1.9 billion,$591 million above the request

    IRAQ:$968 MILLION,$336 million above the request
    Oversight:$20 million,$13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

    Lebanon:$74 million

    International Food Assistance:$500 MILLION,$200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis

    REFUGEE ASSISTANCE:$343 MILLION,$50 million above the request, including humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)

    Disaster Assistance:$200 MILLION to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia

    Peacekeeping:$837 MILLION FOR UNITED NATIONS peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic

    Department of Justice:$17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

    Obama gives your tax dollars to rebuild Muslim mosques around the world

    http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/ …#
    ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL GIVE AWAY NEARLY $6 MILLION OF AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS TO RESTORE 63 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES, INCLUDING ISLAMIC MOSQUES AND MINARETS, IN 55 NATIONS. See the State Department document here.

    http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/office -…
    And THAT’S just the tip of the iceberg.
    THIS will blow your mind!!
    http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/
    They should have 2010 up, but they don’t. That’s where you’ll find Obama’s largesse towards Muslim countries really go off the charts.
    .

    http://www.foreignassistance.gov/DataView.asp…
    charts:
    http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/data/fast-fac…
    _____________________________________________

    The best Obama exposure site on the net:
    The Obama File …

    http://www.theobamafile.com/index_next_politics.html
    The United States Library of Congress has selectedTheObamaFile.com for inclusion in its historic collectionof Internet materials
    http://theobamafile.com/LibraryOfCongress.html

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  64. Pingback: Dems Seek to Protect Obama’s Presidential Records, sealing them with his Personal Records « Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog

  65. I wish to walk back the comment on thugs and sleazebags. Members of Congress are generally not thugs and sleazebags, and these congressmen are not. They should avoid appearing as such, though. Congress is so misunderstood by the American public. What they mistakenly consider bad governing is part and parcel of a representative democracy, i.e. a republic. Congress shouldn’t be criticized so much. I am opposed to the Democratic bill to seal up presidential records. They are public records that should assist the next president.

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