from the beginning-to-think-you-can’t-really-trust-what-this-guy-says dept
Earlier than the election, Elon Musk declared:
“I believe that the sturdy bias with respect to authorities info needs to be to make it obtainable to the general public. Let’s be as clear as potential. Absolutely clear.”
When considered one of his fanboys tweeted that quote, Elon responded by making an excellent larger declare, saying: “There needs to be no want for FOIA requests. All authorities knowledge needs to be default public for optimum transparency.”
As huge believers (and customers) of the FOIA system, that truly sounded good to us, and I might have supported any precise effort to make extra authorities info and paperwork public by default.
Proper after the inauguration, Lauren Harper on the Freedom of the Press Basis famous that this was an opportunity for Elon to place “his paperwork the place his mouth is, and make DOGE’s data public.” However, she famous, the early indications didn’t look good, together with the truth that considered one of their first orders of enterprise was to close down the OMB FOIA portal. It’s nonetheless down as I sort this.
After all, if Musk was dwelling as much as his phrases that we wouldn’t even want FOIA as a result of he’d simply make every little thing public, effectively, that may be one rationalization.
However that’s not what is definitely taking place. Simply as when he took over Twitter, we’re studying that Musk’s guarantees and Musk’s actuality are wholly various things. When he guarantees to make issues higher for “the folks,” he at all times means “make issues higher for Elon.”
As you may see, he mentioned these issues two days earlier than Elon Musk was elected alongside Donald Trump to (apparently) rip out each little bit of accountability from the federal government of america of America. Now that he has close to whole management over the methods that make the US work, he apparently desires them to be fairly rattling secret.
We first heard about this final week when the at all times wonderful 404 Media reported that the DOGE boys have been told to stop using Slack, as a result of somebody realized the conversations have been accessible by FOIA.
Workers working for the company now often called DOGE have been ordered to cease utilizing Slack whereas authorities legal professionals try and transition the company to 1 that isn’t topic to the Freedom of Info Act, 404 Media has realized.
“Good morning, everybody! As a reminder, please chorus from utilizing Slack in the intervening time whereas our numerous common counsels work out one of the best ways to deal with the data migration to our new EOP [Executive Office of the President] element,” a message seen by 404 Media reads. “Will replace as quickly as we’ve got extra info!”
Feels like somebody’s received one thing to cover, huh?
On condition that not one, not two, however three of the DOGE boys have been outed as having horrible fucking judgment (both blatantly racist tweets or being concerned with a fucked up cybercrime group constructed round Discord and Telegram chat channels) it’s important to think about that some shit is happening in these Slack chats.
And thus, it was introduced late final week that DOGE has been reorganized outdoors of OMB (topic to FOIA) and now underneath the Government Workplace of the President, which is topic to the Presidential Information Act as a substitute, allowing such records to be hidden for at least a decade.
The White Home has designated Mr. Musk’s workplace, United States DOGE Service, as an entity insulated from public data requests or most judicial intervention till at the very least 2034, by declaring the paperwork it produces and receives presidential data.
And that, after all, is provided that the Trump admin abides by the PRA, one thing he was well-known for ignoring in his first administration, including when he took categorized paperwork with him to Mar-A-Lago when he left workplace.
So, once more, what’s Elon hiding? In spite of everything, when he mentioned every little thing needs to be public, he mentioned the one exceptions needs to be issues like “learn how to make a nuclear bomb.”
Looks like an admission that he’s performing some loopy shit.
Which is definitely an issue if he’s claiming to be protected by the Presidential Information Act. In spite of everything, the explanation there’s secrecy like that underneath the PRA is as a result of it’s speculated to cowl recommendation to the President. The concern was if that recommendation would grow to be public too shortly, advisors wouldn’t be capable to be trustworthy with the President. However the motive many of the remainder of the chief department is topic to FOIA is as a result of they’re truly doing stuff, not simply advising. And that info is required, underneath legislation, to be public.
I acknowledge, once more, that the Trump administration sees legal guidelines solely as issues they get to make use of to punish these they hate, relatively than something that binds them, however I’m guessing that lawsuits are about to be filed (in the event that they haven’t been already) difficult this designation.
So, perhaps we’ll truly discover out what sorts of messages Elon is buying and selling with the man who calls himself “Massive Balls” and the man who claimed he “was racist before it was cool.”
However solely after a court docket will get concerned. A lot for “most transparency.”
Musk’s model of presidency effectivity seems to imply effectively hiding what he and his crew are doing inside our authorities.
Filed Underneath: doge, elon musk, foia, presidential records act, transparency
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