July 22, 2009

CREW Sues Secret Service Over Visitor Logs

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones' newsletters.


Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a DC non profit, announced Wednesday that it is suing the Secret Service because the Obama administration is following Bush-era practice and refusing to release White House visitor logs. CREW wants to know which health care executives were visiting the White House, and when. The Most Transparent Administration EverTM doesn’t want to tell. So now we get a lawsuit. The White House doesn’t really have a leg to stand on here: even if it could make the legal case that it should be able to withhold the visitor logs, there’s no way it can make the good government case. The president serves the public; the public should know who has his ear. The only reason the White House is getting away with withholding these records for now is that the media (and Congress) don’t seem to care enough to draw attention to it.

Thank you!

We didn't know what to expect when we told you we needed to raise $400,000 before our fiscal year closed on June 30, and we're thrilled to report that our incredible community of readers contributed some $415,000 to help us keep charging as hard as we can during this crazy year.

You just sent an incredible message: that quality journalism doesn't have to answer to advertisers, billionaires, or hedge funds; that newsrooms can eke out an existence thanks primarily to the generosity of its readers. That's so powerful. Especially during what's been called a "media extinction event" when those looking to make a profit from the news pull back, the Mother Jones community steps in.

The months and years ahead won't be easy. Far from it. But there's no one we'd rather face the big challenges with than you, our committed and passionate readers, and our team of fearless reporters who show up every day.

Thank you!

We didn't know what to expect when we told you we needed to raise $400,000 before our fiscal year closed on June 30, and we're thrilled to report that our incredible community of readers contributed some $415,000 to help us keep charging as hard as we can during this crazy year.

You just sent an incredible message: that quality journalism doesn't have to answer to advertisers, billionaires, or hedge funds; that newsrooms can eke out an existence thanks primarily to the generosity of its readers. That's so powerful. Especially during what's been called a "media extinction event" when those looking to make a profit from the news pull back, the Mother Jones community steps in.

The months and years ahead won't be easy. Far from it. But there's no one we'd rather face the big challenges with than you, our committed and passionate readers, and our team of fearless reporters who show up every day.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our newsletters

Subscribe and we'll send Mother Jones straight to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate

We have a new comment system! We are now using Coral, from Vox Media, for comments on all new articles. We'd love your feedback.