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November 22, 2008 4:09:31 AM CST

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Veil of Secrecy Descends on White House

Posted Jun 1, 07 8:36 AM CDT in US,  Politics 

(Newser) – The White House wants records of top officials' meetings to be secret, and the latest attempt to put a lid on that information raises questions about privacy, confidentiality, and the definition of presidential records, the AP reports. This week's revelation of the vice president's effort to restrict record-keeping at his residence is just the latest volley in an ongoing battle.

The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to presidential records, which are considered confidential, and the dispute over defining them is both legal and partisan. The Republican Congress used FOIA requests in targeting President Clinton; the organization suing to learn the names of conservative religious leaders who visited the Bush White House is a progressive nonprofit with Democratic ties.

Source Associated Press

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The vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington is seen in the Sept. 11, 2000 file photo. According to government documents, the Secret Service routinely destroyed five of eight...   (Associated Press)
Vice President Dick Cheney pauses while he addresses the graduating class of 2007 Saturday, May 26, 2007 at West Point Military Academy in Highland Falls, NY. Nine hundred seventy eight cadets received...   (Associated Press)
US President George W. Bush (R) and Vice President Dick Cheney...   (Getty Images (by Event))
President Bush speaks to reporters during his meeting with Iraq's President Jalal Talabani, not pictured, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles...   (Associated Press)
Traditional White House photo   ((c) jepoirrier)
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