“According to sources close to the administration, President Trump is frustrated by the lack of urgency and commitment to be transparent to meeting requests in a timely manner.”
Sources close to President Trump say that the President has ordered the State Department to release the rest of Hillary Clinton’s emails sooner rather than later. The President has also told the Justice Department to lift a gag order on a key FBI informant. This witness apparently holds information relevant to Russian efforts to expand influence over the American uranium industry under the Obama administration.
Sources close to the President claim that he is ordering the release of information in the name of transparency. The President has also instructed Rex Tillerson to work through a back log of some 13,000 Freedom of Information Act requests. Apparently, some of them go back a decade. Tillerson has apparently agreed to dedicate more resources to meeting requests.
White House representatives have stated that the President is ordering “all federal agencies” to meet their obligations to be transparent. According to sources close to the administration, President Trump is frustrated by the lack of urgency and commitment to be transparent to meeting requests in a timely manner.
FOIA requests ensure transparency and allow citizens and other groups to monitor the government. However, the potential sensitivity and confidential nature of information makes the approval process for FOIA slow and tedious. Given already tight government resources, this has produced a substantial backlog for many government agencies.
FOIA requests ensure transparency and allow citizens and other groups to monitor the government.
Testimony by the FBI informant may shed light on the uranium deal approved under the Obama administration that put 20% of the United States Uranium supply under Russian control. To be clear, the uranium must remain in the United States and under tight regulation. Regardless, the deal brought intense scrutiny upon both then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration.
Trump Administration Under Fire for Ties to Russia
The push for transparency comes at a time when the Trump Administration itself has come under intense scrutiny. A federal grand jury has approved charges tied to the Mueller investigation. The details of these charges remain unknown. Mueller was appointed this past May to look into alleged Russian meddling in American elections.
Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn are at the center of much of the attention. Flynn briefly served as National Security Advisor under President Trump before ties to Russia forced him from office. Manafort briefly served as Trump’s campaign manager. Both have been tied to Russia and the Kremlin.
Some speculate that the Trump administration’s push for transparency is being made to counter the negative press over the on-going Mueller investigation. Some believe that Russia may have direct leverage over the Trump Administration. Many speculate that Russia directly influenced the election in favor of Donald Trump.
