President Obama and other liberals have frequently criticized the previous administration for a lack of transparency. But now it seems the Obama White House is practicing the same things liberals criticized President Bush and Vice President Cheney for.
So on the July 22 edition of “Fox and Friends,” anchor Brian Kilmeade brought to viewer’s attention the Obama administration’s hypocrisy on their usage of the “Presidential Communication Privilege.”
Kilmeade recalled the “outrage” that erupted during the two terms of President Bush when energy executives met in secret with Vice President Dick Cheney and the public questioned their influence on the President’s energy plan. The administration claimed “Presidential Communication Privilege,” and never released the names. Subsequently, “Bush was vilified because of that.”
Hypocritically, President Obama has done the exact same thing with his health care plan. Fourteen different executives involved with the drug, medical, and hospital industries, have gone to the White House to advise the President on the health care reform bill.
The left-leaning watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is suing the White House today over their refusal to release the names. Is it not a legitimate request to ask how much influence these captains of industry are yielding over a piece of landmark legislation that will assuredly “revolutionize our lives? So far it appears that among the mainstream media, only Fox News thinks so.
The following exchange was aired on the July 22 edition of "Fox and Friends":
BRIAN KILMEADE, co-host, "Fox and Friends": But the other thing I would like to bring up is, do you remember the outrage? I still remember, it lasted basically through all both Bush terms. Who were those energy executives that went to meet in secret with Dick Cheney? Why are these guys meeting with Dick Cheney and what influence do they have over the President’s energy plan. Well, they never found out who went in.
And Bush was vilified because of that. Well guess who did the same thing? Barack Obama. When it came to special interest, this watchdog group says, “do me a favor, we have here that 14 different executives have come to see you involved with the drug industry and the medical, hospital industry. Could you just give me their names so we can see their role in the final product that we are all going to be signing on to that is going to revolutionize our lives?”
And basically the White House says, I don’t think so, they are not going to release the names!
ALISYN CAMEROTA, co-host: The Secret Service cited something called “Presidential Communication Privilege” for their decision not to disclose this list. I hope the list include doctors by the way.
STEVE DOOCY, co-host: Somebody from the AMA and also somebody from Johnson & Johnson. They have a list of 14 people and said when did these people come in? Actually one of the people talked to us, Billy Tauzin talked with someone and said actually the stuff that really got done was over in the senate.
CAMEROTA: But they are trying to figure out just how much influence these heads of pharmaceutical companies and insurers are exerting over the policy and over the White House. It's a fair question. It's a good thing that this watchdog group is looking into it they are going to sue the White House today to try to get that list.
DOOCY: And to Brian's point, you know everybody was screaming to high heaven during the Bush years about that but do you hear from any of the other channels? I don't think so.
