This morning, National Security Archive Director Tom Blanton testified at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Hearing on “We the People: Fulfilling the Promise of Open Government Five Years After the OPEN Government Act of 2007.” The Committee held the Hearing, spurred by the Archive’s latest Freedom of Information Act Audit, to examine the implementation of the OPEN Government Act and freedom of information issues. Government witnesses were Melanie Pustay, director of the Office of Information Policy, Department of Justice; and Miriam Nisbet, director of the Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration. The representatives of the Open Government community were Sean Moulton Director, Open Government Policy, Center For Effective Government, Kevin M. Goldberg, American Society of News Editors and the Sunshine in Government Initiative, and National Security Archive Director, Tom Blanton.
We are providing the webcast of the Hearing for your Sunshine Week viewing pleasure. Be sure to watch Melanie Pustay describe her rosy outlook on the state of FOIA at 55:21. The senators’ blistering questioning of her occurs at 1:07:00. Blanton rebuts her “Pinocchios” at 1:48:50. For Mr. Blanton’s more detailed rebuttal of the DOJ’s assessment of the state-of-FOIA, read his incisive written testimony, which includes our “top ten” suggestions for “best practice” FOIA regulations.
