Obama should reevalute records withholdings, groups say

At least two groups are asking the Obama administration to reconsider its stance on pending Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington are pushing for the release of documents the Bush administration fought to keep secret.

The ACLU on Wednesday sent a letter to the Justice Department asking that it reevaluate whether several Office of Legal Counsel opinions should still be withheld in light of Obama’s transparency priorities, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

Similarly, CREW called on the Obama administration to release Secret Service visitor logs, missing White House e-mail, and a host of other records the watchdog group has been suing for access to.

McClatchy also reported the Justice Department’s Office of Information and Privacy told officials to process FOIA requests with a "clear presumption in favor of disclosure, to resolve doubts in favor of openness, and to not withhold information based on ‘speculative or abstract fears.’"